Te Ao Māori / Arts

Taika Waititi looking for the Māori Moana

14:59 pm on 9 June 2017

A new Māori language version of Moana is being recorded, with Hunt for the Wilderpeople filmmaker Taika Waititi putting out a casting call for a star who can speak Te Reo.

Maui and Moana Photo: Supplied

Waititi wrote the initial script for Moana and his new company, Matewa Media, will work on the Māori version together with Disney Animation Studios.

The casting call says those auditioning must be fluent in te reo Māori and sound as close as possible to Auli'i Cravalho, the actor who voiced the original Moana. Applicants are asked to send in footage of themselves singing 'How Far I'll Go', the film's hit song.

Production will take place between 24 June and 12 July.

Casting closes on Thursday 15 June.

"Whatever it takes, get yourself on tape and send it in," Waititi said.

The original version of Moana, which also featured Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as Maui, grossed over $US642 million worldwide.