Alan Tudyk Won’t Return As Heihei

Disney’s Moana live-action movie won’t see all the beloved animated film’s cast return, according to a recent update by star, Alan Tudyk. The upcoming musical adventure will follow the same story as 2016’s animated movie, and will be the third installment in the Moana franchise. Moana’s live-action remake is scheduled to be released by Disney on July 10, 2026.

Previously, it was announced that Moana’s live-action remake has cast Dwayne Johnson, who is set to reprise his role as the demi-god Maui. However, Auli’i Cravalho will not return as Moana, featuring instead as executive producer alongside Johnson. Catherine Laga’aia will voice Moana in her film debut, and will be joined by John Tui, Frankie Adams, and Rena Owen.

Now, in a recent interview with Gold Derby, Alan Tudyk (who voices Heihei in 2016’s Moana) has confirmed that he will not be returning for the live-action remake. Tudyk confirms, “Heihei will be played by someone else,” adding that Heihei will be voiced by a yet-to-be-revealed female performer instead. Check out Tudyk’s light-hearted reaction to Heihei’s female recast below:

Everybody calls Heihei a chicken, even though he’s a rooster. So it’s about time they got an actress to put a little more ‘chick’ in the chicken.

Tudyk made it clear there were no hard feelings, as he’s aware Disney likes to maintain the difference between its animated films and their live-action counterparts, and “I do Disney animation.” Speaking of the live-action role, Tudyk joked that “I bet the new Heihei has to do [mo-cap],” to which he stated “I’m a no to doing motion-capture for animals.”

What This Means For Moana’s Live-Action Movie

Alan Tudyk has only ever featured in one live-action remake, and that was a last-minute role for the voice of Jafar’s parrot Iago in 2019’s Aladdin. As Tudyk states, “I do Disney animation,” it makes sense that the studio would want someone different to voice Heihei, as Disney wants to preserve the difference between Moana’s animated and live-action movies.

Dwayne Johnson is the outlier for Moana, as he is returning as his animated role. However, this is likely done to ensure there is a big name attached to the lead role to bring in audiences, especially with the actor’s current popularity. Instead, there will be a different and reportedly female actor cast to voice Heihei, providing a fresh take.

Our Take On Alan Tudyk’s Recasting

With the release of Moana’s live-action remake less than one year away, excitement is increasing, especially following the animated movie’s recent sequel, Moana 2, which outgrossed the first film by earning $1 billion at the box office worldwide. Both Auli’i Cravalho and Alan Tudyk reprized their roles as Moana and Heihei in Moana 2, which also featured Dwayne Johnson.

With a prominent legacy in the Moana franchise, it’s disheartening to see the original cast won’t be returning. However, it makes sense as Disney wants to make sure Moana’s remake is different enough to be fresh, and Tudyk is too notable for his animated role. Therefore, it’ll be interesting to see who is cast as Heihei in Moana’s live-action remake.