It didn’t ultimately go through, but The Rock approved plans to use Deepfake technology for Disney’s live-action adaptation of Moana.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been filming a live-action version of Disney’s hit Moana. However, due to his busy schedule, he cannot commit to consistent shooting hours for the role. According to The Wall Street Journal, to accommodate Johnson’s limited on-set presence, Disney had a plan to use Deepfake technology.
According to the plan, The Rock’s cousin, Tanoai Reed, would fill in as a body double for a small number of shots, the WSJ said. Reed has played The Rock’s stunt double in movies. This includes The Scorpion King (2002), Be Cool (2005), The Other Guys (2010), and Furious 7 (2015).
“Disney would work with AI company Metaphysic to create deepfakes of Johnson’s face that could be layered on top of Reed’s performance in the footage—a ‘digital double” that effectively allowed Johnson to be in two places at once.”
The Rock approved the plan to use Deepfake technology for Moana
The report noted that The Rock approved the plan. However, Disney’s legal team seemed a bit apprehensive about the technology, especially when it came to ownership claims.
“Johnson approved the plan, but the use of a new technology had Disney attorneys hammering out details over how it could be deployed, what security precautions would protect the data and a host of other concerns. They also worried that the studio ultimately couldn’t claim ownership over every element of the film if AI generated parts of it, people involved in the negotiations said.”
According to WSJ, Disney and Metaphysic spent 18 months negotiating on and off. This includes over the terms of the deal and work on the double. However, none of the footage will be in the final film when it’s released.
The Rock lent his voice to Maui in the 2016 hit Moana and its 2024 sequel, Moana 2. The live-action Moana movie will be released in July 2026.
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