AI is here to stay, but how it should and shouldn’t be used is still a subject of much debate, particularly in the entertainment industry. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal (via Deadline), Disney had considered some ambitious ideas for using AI on several upcoming projects, including Tron: Ares and the live-action Moana movie.
According to WSJ sources, Disney 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.” The character would have been a sidekick of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), but the idea didn’t move forward because the executives were told “that the company couldn’t risk the bad publicity.“
Tron: Ares stars Jared Leto as Ares, a highly sophisticated Program sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with AI beings. In addition to Leto, the film also stars Evan Peters, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Gillian Anderson, Cameron Monaghan, Sarah Desjardins, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, and Jeff Bridges, who returns as Kevin Flynn. The film will hit theaters on October 10.
As for Moana, Disney teamed up with Metaphysic, an AI company, to create deepfakes of Dwayne Johnson’s face so they could use a body double for some shots in the movie. Johnson’s cousin and longtime stunt double Tanoi Reed would have served as the body double, with Johnson’s face added at a later date. However, the studio vetoed the plan, not for artistic or ethical reasons, but because they were “worried [that they] ultimately couldn’t claim ownership over every element of the film if AI generated parts of it.” When Disney and Metaphysic couldn’t come to terms, the existing footage was scrapped.
The live-action adaptation is expected to follow the same plot as the original, which follows the strong-willed daughter of a village chief who sets sail in search of Maui, a legendary demigod. Thomas Kail (Hamilton) is directing the live-action Moana movie, which stars Catherine Laga’aia as Moana, Dwayne Johnson as Maui, Frankie Adams as Sina, John Tui as Chef Tui, and Rena Owen as Gramma Tala. The film will hit theaters on July 10, 2026.
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