Someone very familiar with the original animated version of Lilo & Stitch is in final talks to join the cast of the new live-action adaptation, reprising his role as the lovable troublemaking alien experiment, Stitch, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
What’s Happening:
- The new live-action adaptation of the 2002 Walt Disney Animation Studios classic, Lilo & Stitch, has reportedly nabbed someone special from the original animated film to join the cast.
- Lilo & Stitch writer and director, Chris Sanders, who voiced the original genetic abomination, Stitch, is set to reprise his role as Experiment 626 in the new film.
- He also provided the voice of Stitch in the series, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, which ran from 2003-2006, and had been rumored to reprise the role for years, with the new live-action adaptation being the first official approach by the studio.
- Sanders and the original animated production were nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2002 Academy Awards, alongside another Walt Disney Animation Studios title, Treasure Planet, both of which lost to Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.
- The news of Sanders’ casting is only the latest addition in a string of names, which also includes Zach Galifianakis as Jumba, Billy Magnussen as Pleakley, newcomer Maia Kealoha as Lilo, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani, Kaipot Dudoit as David, and Courtney B. Vance as Cobra Bubbles.
- Tia Carrere, who provided the voice of Nani in the original animated classic, is also set to play a new character, Mrs. Kekoa in the live-action adaptation. Amy Hill will also star as another new character, TuTu.
- The original film was released in 2002, and told the tale of the bond formed between a lonely human girl named Lilo and a dog-like alien named Stitch, who was genetically engineered to be a force of destruction. With nosy social workers and pursuing aliens banging on the door, the two bond over a shared sense of family and win the day, all with the stunning setting of Hawaii as the backdrop. The film became a cult-success, grossing over $273 million worldwide, with an original budget of $80 Million. The new film is the latest in a series of live-action adaptations of animated classics that many agree started in 2010 with a reimagining of Alice in Wonderland from director Tim Burton, and really took off with 2015’s live-action adaptation of Cinderella.
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