Don't be surprised if Dwayne Johnson gets his own animated franchise after Moana 2

With Moana 2 still destroying the box office weeks after its release, speculation has already begun about what's next for Moana and her demigod friend, Maui, voiced by megastar Dwayne Johnson. Disney's sequel broke several box office records despite middling reviews, and another chapter in Moana saga seems almost inevitable. Another film seems even more right given where Moana 2Moana's post-credits scene left the narrative overarching, and naturally this film will continue to follow Moana's journey with her new powers.

Moana 2 it actually started out as a Disney+ series when it was developed, but the decision was made to move into a feature-length sequel as early as February 2024. A Disney+ series could still be in the future, given how much Moana 2 expanded the universe for the characters of Motonui and the monsters and deities of the sea. At this point, it wouldn't be a surprise if Dwayne Johnson was the centerpiece of a spinoff show with how perfectly Moana 2 prepared Maui for his own project.

Moana 2 Sets Up Main Franchise to Work Without Dwayne Johnson

Moana's demigod's new powers make Maui unnecessary

The future of Moana franchise was remodeled by the decision to essentially replace Maui with Moana, making her a demigod. The first film's dynamic worked well, with Moana acting as a human action star and Maui facing supernatural threats that were too big for Moana. In Moana 2this dynamic continued to work until the end, when Moana was shockingly killed by the storm god Nalo and given demigod powers that appear to be similar to Maui's, without the ability to shapeshift (until now).

This basically sets the franchise up to function without the inclusion of Dwayne Johnson's Maui. in future chapters of Moana's story. While very little has been revealed about Moana's demigod powers, or whether they are permanent (it's not certain, considering Maui was stripped of her powers shortly before Moana gained hers), it seems safe to assume that she will have some level of immortality to come. Track your new pathfinding ability. This means that she is capable of facing supernatural threats alone, without Maui coming to her rescue against the most terrible cosmic threats of the sea.

Dwayne Johnson getting a Maui spinoff franchise would make sense after the success of Moana 2

The appetite for Moana-related content is clearly high

Given the character's popularity and recognition of the long-haired, muscular demigod, it seems extremely unlikely that Moana 3 will eliminate Maui from the equation entirely. The opportunity to do this came at the end of Moana 2, when he was stripped of his demigod powers; as a human again, Maui could have gone his own way. With his powers back, it seems much more likely that he will team up with demigod Moana to take down Nalo, the ultra-powerful storm deity they faced in the sequel.

However, given the incredible box office success of Moana 2It is clear that the interest in Moana Franchise has never been so high. In this context, a Maui spinoff will make a lot of sense for Disney in the coming years. Dwayne Johnson's star power and the demigod's fun skills and personality lend themselves to Maui leading his own project. Whether it's a spin-off film that chronicles Maui's adventures at sea without Moana, or perhaps a Disney+ series that explores Maui's origins and great deeds, the opportunity is ripe for Maui to take center stage.