Disney considered using AI to create a deepfake of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the upcoming live-action Moana.
Disney Considered Making AI Dwayne Johnson
According to The Wall Street Journal, Disney developed the contingency plan with Johnson’s approval so the actor wouldn’t have to be on set every day. Johnson’s stunt double and cousin, Tanoai Reed, would have acted as his body double for select shots. Disney then would have worked with AI company Metaphysic to deepfake Johnson’s face on Reed’s performance.
But as Disney began figuring out the details of the plan, several potential issues came up. Disney and Metaphysic spent 18 months negotiating and working on the digital double. According to people involved in the negotiations who spoke to WSJ, Disney became concerned about what security precautions would protect the data and whether or not they would be able to claim ownership of every element of the film.
Ultimately, none of the AI footage will be in the final film.
The upcoming TRON: Ares — which is about an AI being who ends up in the real world — was also going to use generative AI, but Disney pulled the plug. Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn would have had an AI-generated animated sidekick named Bit, created by a writer providing context to an AI program, and then the program responding to questions in character.
WSJ’s sources connected to Disney say the company is torn regarding AI. There have been discussions about adding AI generation features to Disney+ that would allow subscribers to create their own clips.
An AI Darth Vader debuted in Fortnite this past May, immediately facing controversy and a SAG-AFTRA lawsuit. James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader, signed over AI rights for his performance before he died in 2024.
In June, Disney teamed up with Universal to file a copyright infringement lawsuit against generative AI company Midjourney. Disney CEO Bob Iger and Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer Horacio Gutierrez have met with White House officials about their copyright concerns.
Soon after filing their lawsuit against Midjourney, Disney was accused of using generative AI to create posters for their Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween event.
WSJ states that Disney employees who want to feed company information into generative AI tools for business must first get permission from an AI committee.
Gutierrez told WSJ, “AI will be transformative, but it doesn’t need to be lawless.”
He further explained, “Our job is to enable our creators to use the best AI tools available without compromising the company long term.”
The live-action Moana will be in theaters on July 10, 2026, with Dwayne Johnson reprising his role from the animated films and Catherine Laga’aia portraying Moana. Auliʻi Cravalho, the animated voice of Moana, is executive producing the adaptation.
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