Dwayne Johnson Agreed to Be Deepfaked in Moana, But Disney Backed Out
Sources of The Wall Street Journal claim that Johnson, who plays the demigod Maui, had agreed to let AI developed by the company Metaphysic map his face onto Tanoai Reed, his cousin and longtime stunt double. This way, they would also cut costs, as Mr. Johnson is a very expensive actor. Tanoai Reed has already served as Johnson's stunt double in various projects, including the Fast & Furious franchise, 2018's Skyscraper, the two Jumanji films, 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," the report says.Although the AI was only intended to be used in a small number of shots, the project was canceled after 18 months of negotiations with Metaphysic. No footage featuring Reed’s performance will appear in the final film, scheduled for release in July 2026. Disney reportedly backed out due to concerns about data security and legal uncertainties surrounding the ownership of AI-generated content.Disney had also considered including a generative AI character named Bit in Tron: Ares, who would appear alongside Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn. The character was to be created using a script and brought to life through AI-generated dialogue. However, the idea was dropped due to legal risks and fears of public backlash, particularly during negotiations with industry unions.You can find the full report here. Previously, we reported that Disney and NBCUniversal are suing Midjourney for copyright infringement. Learn more here. Please join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.
