Disney Scraps Plan to Use AI Deepfake of Dwayne Johnson in Live-Action ‘Moana’ originally appeared on Parade.
While Disney initially planned to use an artificial intelligence deepfake of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the live-action remake of Moana, they decided to scrap the idea after fearing the implications of using AI.
Although Johnson, 53, is set to reprise his role as the demigod Maui in the film, the former WWE wrestler reportedly agreed to allow Disney to digitally replace him by superimposing his face on Tanoai Reed, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Reed, 51, is Johnson’s cousin and longtime stunt double who has appeared in several of the action star’s movies, including Jumanji, Skyscraper and Jungle Cruise.
“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,” a source explained to the publication.
Johnson approved of the plan, but Disney executives began to worry that they “ultimately couldn’t claim ownership over every element of the film if AI generated parts of it.” Despite the AI intending to be used in just a few shots, the organization canceled the contract with Metaphysics after 18 months of negotiations.
The WSJ also reported that a similar idea was tossed around for Tron: Ares.
“Executives pitched the idea of actually incorporating AI into one of the characters in the sequel to the 1980s hit movie Tron as a buzzy marketing strategy,” an insider told the outlet.
However, higher-ups at Disney “internally were told that the company couldn’t risk the bad publicity.”
Concern over the use of AI in filmmaking has been growing for years and was one of the key reasons behind the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. A central issue was the fear that studios could use actors’ digital likenesses, including their image, voice, and performances, without proper consent or compensation.
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Disney Scraps Plan to Use AI Deepfake of Dwayne Johnson in Live-Action ‘Moana’ first appeared on Parade on Aug 5, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
