Acclaimed Broadway director making feature film debut with Disney's 'Moana'

The highly anticipated live-action adaptation of Disney's "Moana" sails into theaters on Friday.

At the helm is an acclaimed Broadway director who is making his feature film debut.

Thomas Kail is an Emmy and Tony Award-winning Broadway director who worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda on the smash-hit stage productions "Hamilton" and "In The Heights."

Miranda's Disney legacy includes musical contributions to some of the most iconic modern soundtracks, from 2016's animated hit "Moana" to "Mary Poppins Returns," "Encanto," "Mufasa: The Lion King," and now, the live-action adaptation of "Moana."

This time, he's taking Kail along for the adventure.

"The chance to be back with Lin is amazing," said Kail. "Lin and I met in 2002. I was 25, and he was 22, and we just started making stuff in a basement. We were sitting in the village of Motunui next to each other with his kid running next to the dolly truck. I mean, you sort of can't believe it. Those are the things that are indelible, you know. It feels like you're carving it into something that will be around for a long while, and we knew we had that opportunity, and we didn't want to miss it."

Now, Kail has made another musical brother in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, the voice and now the face of the demigod Maui.

"Dwayne was the first person I spoke to about making this movie about three years ago," said Kail. "I say this, and it's hard for me to do, because he's here, but he was the standard. If you knew you had the exact right person to play that part, then that's the level setter for everything else."

And Catherine Laga'aia as Moana is magic.

"The real thing is the real thing. You can't fake that, and she has it," said Kail. "I just get out of the way and press record."

Disney's "Moana" is in theaters on July 10.

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