Lilo & Stitch (upcoming film)

Last updated

Lilo & Stitch
Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp
Written byChris Kekaniokalani Bright
Based on
Lilo & Stitch
by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNigel Bluck
Production
companies
Distributed by Disney+
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Lilo & Stitch is an upcoming American science-fiction film that will be a live-action/CGI remake of Disney's 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch . The film will be directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, written by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, and produced by Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich. It will star Maia Kealoha as Lilo Pelekai and Lilo & Stitch creator Chris Sanders reprising his voice role as Stitch from the original animated continuity. Zach Galifianakis, Sydney Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Courtney B. Vance, and original continuity cast members Tia Carrere, Amy Hill, and Jason Scott Lee will also star.

Contents

Premise

The film tells the story of "the bond formed between a lonely human girl named Lilo and a dog-like alien named Stitch, who is engineered to be a force of destruction. Pursuing aliens, social workers, and the idea of the bond of family figure into the proceedings." [1]

Cast

Production

Development

On October 3, 2018, it was announced that Walt Disney Pictures was developing a live-action/computer-generated animation hybrid film remake of Disney's 2002 animated feature film Lilo & Stitch . The film was set to be adapted by Mike Van Waes, produced by Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, and co-produced by Ryan Halprin. [1] [13] On October 24, 2018, Van Waes revealed that he began to work on the remake's script. [14] On November 13, 2020, Jon M. Chu entered talks to direct the film, while Van Waes was reported to have left the project, with the studio looking for a new screenwriter to re-write Van Waes's script, [15] [16] though Chu would ultimately not direct the film due to other obligations. On July 14, 2022, Deadline Hollywood reported that Dean Fleischer Camp was chosen to direct instead, while Chris Kekaniokalani Bright was in talks to rewrite the script; [17] Bright was fully confirmed to be the writer in February 2023. [5] The day after Deadline Hollywood's announcement of Fleischer Camp and Bright's involvement, Van Waes quote tweeted from Deadline Hollywood's tweet on their article, welcoming Fleischer Camp and Bright to the film's production, possibly indicating that he is still involved with the film. [18]

The film was given the working title Bad Dog, a reference to the ever-misbehaving Stitch being mistaken for and adopted as a dog, while the new production company established for the film was named "Blue Koala Pictures, Inc." in reference to a typical description of the character's physical appearance. [19]

Casting

While it was speculated that the original film's co-writer/co-director, Chris Sanders, would reprise his role as the voice of Stitch in the remake, Sanders claimed in a September 2022 interview that Disney had not yet approached him on reprising the role, although he stated that he is always open to returning to voice his creation. [20]

It was reported in November 2022 that a casting call has been issued for the film. [2] The initial casting call was later tweeted on November 22 by the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. [3]

In February 2023, Zach Galifianakis joined the cast in a then-unspecified role. While TheWrap reported at the time that he would voice Pleakley, [5] The Hollywood Reporter contradicted them in April when they reported that Galifianakis was instead voicing Dr. Jumba Jookiba. [10] In late March, Maia Kealoha was cast in the lead role as Lilo Pelekai. [4]

In April 2023, Billy Magnussen was cast as the voice of Agent Pleakley, [10] and Sydney Agudong was cast as Nani Pelekai. [7] Later that month, Kahiau Machado was cast as David Kawena, [8] while Courtney B. Vance was cast as Cobra Bubbles, who fans initially believed was cut from the film's cast of characters. [11] Tia Carrere and Amy Hill, who both voiced roles in the original film and its original sequel material such as Lilo & Stitch: The Series , were cast in new roles, with Sanders in final negotiations to reprise his voice role as Stitch. [10]

The castings of Agudong and Machado were met with controversy on social media shortly after their announcements, with accusations of colorism and whitewashing towards Disney and the film's casting crew, as the two actors are of lighter skin tones than their characters' original animated counterparts. [21] [22] Sydney Agudong—the older sister of actress Siena Agudong—is a mixed-race woman born and raised on Kaua'i (where the franchise is mainly set) to a Caucasian mother and a father who is Filipino. [21] [23] [22] Agudong received comments on her Instagram account attacking her for accepting the role. [24] After Internet users discovered that Machado previously used a racial slur on his Spotify and Instagram accounts, Disney quietly recast him with Kaipo Dudoit. [10] [9] [25] Machado later posted an apology for his prior use of the slur via Instagram on April 27, 2023. [25]

In June 2023, Jason Scott Lee, who voiced David Kawena in the original film and Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005), revealed on the podcast Kyle Meredith With... that he will have a cameo in the film as the manager of the luau where Nani and David work at. [12] [26]

Filming

Principal photography was slated to start in Oahu, Hawaii, on March 13, 2023, [27] and finish on June 16. [28] However, the first day of filming was later delayed to April 17. [29]

On April 16, 2023, a fire broke out in a trailer within the base camp of the film's set in Haleiwa, causing approximately $200,000 in damage. [29] [30] [31] The trailer contained costumes that would have been used for the first three weeks of filming. [32] The fire started before 11 PM HST and was extinguished by 1 AM the following day. [29] [30] [31] There were no reported injuries, although the beginning of filming was delayed indefinitely. The Honolulu Police Department classified it as a first-degree arson and opened an investigation in response. [29] [30] [31] [32]

Filming eventually began by May 1, 2023, when a portion of the Kalanianaole Highway was closed for the film's production. [33] Filming was suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. [34] It eventually resumed in February 2024 and finally wrapped in early March that year. [35]

Visual effects and design

The visual effects are provided by Industrial Light & Magic. [36]

Release

In November 2020, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter reported that Disney had not determined whether the film would be released theatrically or through Disney+. [15] [16] In November 2022, it was confirmed via a casting call that the film will be produced for a direct-to-streaming Disney+ release. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tia Carrere</span> American actress (born 1967)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Sanders</span> American filmmaker and animator (born 1962)

Christopher Michael Sanders is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor. His credits include Lilo & Stitch (2002) and How to Train Your Dragon (2010), both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with Dean DeBlois, The Croods (2013) with Kirk DeMicco, and The Call of the Wild (2020). He is also known for creating the story behind Lilo & Stitch and for creating and voicing its latter title character in the film and its franchise.

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<i>Lilo & Stitch</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise about extraterrestrials living with humans on Earth

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Stitch & Ai is an English-language-produced donghua television series and a spin-off of Disney's Lilo & Stitch franchise. It is the franchise's third TV series, after the Western animated Lilo & Stitch: The Series and the Japanese Stitch! anime series. It was produced with the assistance of American animators. Set in Huangshan, Anhui, the thirteen-episode series features a Chinese girl named Wang Ai Ling in place of the original 2002–06 Western continuity's Lilo Pelekai and the anime's Yuna Kamihara as the titular human companion of the alien Stitch.

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References

  1. 1 2 Kit, Borys (October 3, 2018). "'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action Remake in the Works at Disney (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Williams, Caleb (November 12, 2022). "Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action Movie Lead Character Breakdowns Go Out (EXCLUSIVE)". Knight Edge Media. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 CAPE—Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment [@CAPEUSA] (November 23, 2022). "OPEN CASTING CALL! @DisneyStudios is searching for actors for the upcoming Lilo & Stitch live-action film for several characters of #NativeHawaiian descent. Actors of Native Hawaiian, Polynesian, Māori descent are encouraged to apply. To apply: [email address redacted for Wikipedia]" (Tweet). Retrieved November 23, 2022– via Twitter.
  4. 1 2 Verhoeven, Beatrice (March 31, 2023). "Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch' Movie Finds Its Lilo". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Taylor, Drew (February 17, 2023). "Zach Galifianakis Cast in Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch'". TheWrap . Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  6. ↑ Grobar, Matt (April 12, 2023). "Lilo & Stitch Live-Action Disney Movie Adds Billy Magnussen". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Verhoeven, Beatrice (April 14, 2023). "Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch' Finds Its Nani, Lilo's Sister (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Verhoeven, Beatrice (April 17, 2023). "Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch' Casts Nani's Love Interest David (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Shrishty (April 21, 2023). "'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action Remake Recasts David Following Controversy". Collider . Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Verhoeven, Beatrice (April 21, 2023). "Chris Sanders in Final Talks to Return as Voice of Stitch in Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Cordero, Rosy (April 19, 2023). "Courtney B. Vance Boards Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch'". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  12. 1 2 McPherson, Christopher (June 27, 2023). "'Lilo & Stitch's David Voice Actor Reveals Role in Live-Action Reboot". Collider . Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  13. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (October 3, 2018). "Disney Loading 'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action Adaptation". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  14. ↑ Van Waes, Mike [@mikevanwaes] (October 24, 2018). "Real but surreal. 🏝 #liloandstitch" (Tweet). Retrieved October 24, 2018– via Twitter.
  15. 1 2 Rubin, Rebecca (November 13, 2020). "Jon M. Chu to Direct 'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action Movie". Variety. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  16. 1 2 Kit, Borys (November 13, 2020). "Jon M. Chu in Talks to Direct Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch' Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  17. ↑ Kroll, Justin (July 14, 2022). "'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action Pic At Disney Taps 'Marcel The Shell With Shoes On's Dean Fleischer Camp To Direct". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  18. ↑ Van Waes, Mike [@mikevanwaes] (July 15, 2022). "Welcome to the ohana @DFLEISCHERCAMP and Chris K.T. Bright! 🤩" (Tweet). Retrieved July 17, 2022– via Twitter.
  19. ↑ Wilding, Josh (March 3, 2023). "Lilo & Stitch Live-Action Movie Gets A Fitting Working Title But One Key Character Still Hasn't Been Cast". Toonado. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  20. ↑ Weiss, Josh (September 13, 2022). "Original Co-Director of 'Lilo & Stitch' Has Thoughts About the Live-Action Remake". SYFY Wire . Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  21. 1 2 Frank, Allegra (April 20, 2023). "Disney Keeps Bungling the 'Lilo and Stitch' Remake Casting". The Daily Beast . Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  22. 1 2 Villegas, Pauline (April 15, 2023). "The 'Lilo & Stitch' live-action casting sparks an online debate about colorism in Hollywood". Insider . Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  23. ↑ Segarra, Edward (April 20, 2023). "'Lilo & Stich' fans slam casting of light-skinned Hawaiian actress in live-action remake". USA Today . Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  24. ↑ Ke, Bryan (April 19, 2023). "'Lilo and Stitch' live-action remake accused of whitewashing Nani Pelekai". NextShark. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  25. 1 2 HNN Staff (April 28, 2023). "Disney recasts role of David in 'Lilo & Stitch' remake after past racial slurs surface". Hawaii News Now . Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023. Reports said Machado shared a Spotify playlist and an Instagram post that contained the N-word. The Hawaii actor posted an apology on social media Thursday night saying he's sorry for posting it online and he's learned a lot since the posts he made as a teenager.
  26. ↑ Meredith, Kyle (June 26, 2023). "Kyle Meredith With...: Jason Scott Lee on the Cultural Stories of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Jungle Book, and Doogie Kameāloha, M.D" (Podcast). Kyle Meredith With... Consequence Pod Network. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  27. ↑ Santens, Tim (March 14, 2023). "Live-Action "Lilo & Stitch" Begins Filming in O'ahu in March". Tales From The Collection. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  28. ↑ "'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action Disney Movie Gets Filming Schedule [Exclusive]". Midgard Times. February 18, 2023. Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  29. 1 2 3 4 HNN Staff (April 17, 2023). "Arson investigation underway after fire on set of major film production on Oahu's North Shore". Hawaii News Now . Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  30. 1 2 3 HPR News Staff (April 18, 2023). "Suspected arson investigation on live-action 'Lilo & Stitch' film set". Hawaii Public Radio . Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  31. 1 2 3 Bernardo, Rosemarie (April 18, 2023). "Arson suspected in Disney film trailer blaze". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023– via Yahoo! News.
  32. 1 2 Daysog, Rick (April 18, 2023). "'Reeks of organized crime': 'Lilo and Stitch' set fire reopens old industry wounds". Hawaii News Now . Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  33. ↑ "'Lilo & Stitch' filming to close portion of Kalanianaole Highway in both directions". Hawaii News Now . April 25, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  34. ↑ Couch, Aaron; Giardina, Carolyn; Kit, Borys (July 14, 2023). "Deadpool 3, Mission: Impossible 8, and Venom 3 Halted Amid Actors Strike". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  35. ↑ Piña, Christy (June 10, 2024). "'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action: Everything to Know About Remake of Beloved Disney Animated Film". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  36. ↑ Huang, PeiZhi. "FX Supervisor". Linkedin.
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