Hawaii actor Taimua Hannemann hunted by sharks in new thriller ‘The Bay’

News admin June 25, 2026 0 Comments

Hawaii actor Taimua Hannemann hunted by sharks in new thriller ‘The Bay’

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Hawaii actor who starred in an Oscar-nominated film is now leading a new thriller that may give viewers flashbacks to the classic movie “Jaws.”

Kaimuki native Lachlan Taʻimua Hannemann, 25, stars in “The Bay.”

“It’s just a bloody mess and a lot of tension. It’s really intense,” said Hannemann, who goes by Taʻimua.

Hannemann plays Ruhan, a deckhand on a tour boat taking visitors to a remote shark sanctuary — until things go wrong.

“Originally the role of Ruhan was supposed to be a 60-year-old Thailand guy and I’m like, first of all, I’m not 60, and I don’t really know a Thailand accent, but I am from Hawaii and we have something called a pidgin accent. So I pitched him (the producer) that,” explained Hannemann.

A sneak peek at one eerie scene includes Hannemann’s character saying, “I wen pull ‘em out. Shark almost wen kill me.”

Hannemann says while the shark is a main character in the film, there’s also underlying tension among the small cast.

“Because there’s only four of us on the boat and there are a lot of power dynamics that shift, we do fight including punching stunts,” he said.

The movie is set in Thailand, but Hawaii viewers may recognize Chinaman’s Hat in the background.

Hannemann says nearly all of the film was shot in one month on Oahu at Kualoa Ranch’s Secret Island, Kaneohe Bay and Pier 38 in December 2024.

While the sandbar is home to many hammerhead sharks, it was movie magic that brought the sharks on screen to life.

“It was a silicone cast of a fin and tail. He would be in the bay of Secret Island and he’s manuvering these things like swimming with them and moving it,” explained Hannemann.

“The Bay” is Hannemann’s first feature-length film. The Saint Louis graduate previously starred in “Jane Austen’s Period Drama,” a satirical short film that earned an Oscar nomination in January.

He says the film underscores why Hawaii is one of the best places in the world to shoot movies.

“We have some really talented crew, man, that are just hungry and looking to film and create and share their stories,” he said.

“The Bay” opens in select theaters and on video streaming platforms on July 17.

Meanwhile, this week Hannemann returns to Kualoa Ranch to film another indie movie called “The Tourist Curse.” Next year, he’ll appear in season two of “Untamed” on Netflix, which was also filmed on Oahu.