It’s been 22 years since Disney’s Lilo & Stitch first hit theaters and, to this day, it remains a beloved classic for children and adults alike.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that the company would be remaking the Hawaii-centric film into a live-action/CG hybrid in October 2018, which was initially delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it’s been a long road to get the film made, but it finally wrapped production earlier this year.
Mike Van Waes wrote the first screenplay for the live-action film, but Chris Kekaniokalani Bright took over and rewrote the script before filming began. Jon M. Chu was originally in talks to direct Lilo & Stitch but couldn’t due to other obligations, so Dean Fleischer Camp ended up helming the project.
The remake began picking up steam in July 2022 but was delayed by several events. First, production was shut down after a fire broke out in a trailer on set, which sparked an arson investigation to discover the cause. Once that was solved, the film began production again in April 2023 when the rest of the cast was announced. But it was shut down again in May 2023 following the start of the writers strike and remained so as the actors strike kicked off a couple of months later.
After Sydney Elizebeth Adugong was cast as Nani, Lilo’s (newcomer Maia Kealoha) sister, the filmmakers were accused of colorism for choosing an actress whose skin was lighter than Nani’s in the 2002 film. Originally, Kahiau Machado was set to portray David Kawena, Nani’s love interest and Lilo’s friend. But after his use of racial slurs was uncovered on social media, the role was recast, with Kaipot Dudoit taking on the part instead.
Despite its several hurdles, the film wrapped production earlier this year and is expected to be released in 2025. So, break out the Elvis Presley records and read on for everything there is to know about Lilo & Stitch so far.
When Does the ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Live-Action Film Come Out?
The Lilo & Stitch live-action is set to hit theaters on May 23. The original film was released in June 2002.
Who Is in the Remake?
Fans of the original Lilo & Stitch will be happy to hear that several of the actors from the animated film will be returning in some capacity for the live-action remake, including Chris Sanders, who voiced Stitch, the character he also created, in the 2002 title. Tia Carrere, who voiced Nani in the first film, will portray a new character in the live-action, named Mrs. Kekoa, while Amy Hill, the voice actor behind Mrs. Hasagawa, will take on another new character, Tūtū.
The new movie will see Maia Kealoha as Lilo, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani and Kaipot Dudoit as David Kawena. Prior to Dudoit’s casting, Kahiau Machado had been cast as Nani’s love interest, but during Disney’s vetting process, previous posts in which he used racial slurs were uncovered. So, the role went to Dudoit instead. Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen and Courtney B. Vance round out the cast, respectively taking on the roles of Jumba, Pleakley and Cobra Bubbles.
Has the Film Started Production?
Disney confirmed Lilo & Stitch in 2018. The film was expected to begin filming in the fall of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its production until spring 2023. Shooting was almost complete when the months-long actors strike began in July and further delayed it. In February of this year, cameras started rolling in Hawaii again before finally wrapping in early March.
How Will Stitch Be Incorporated in the Remake?
While most of the Lilo & Stitch remake will be live-action, there is one particular part of the film that will still be created for the project: Stitch. The dog-like alien will be computer-generated, but actual actors will portray his fellow extraterrestrials: Jumba, Pleakley and Cobra Bubbles. The live-action version of the popular animated film will follow the same storyline as the original, so it will follow the bond formed between Lilo and Stitch, who was engineered to be a force of destruction.
In a teaser released in November, the titular blue alien is seen causing a bit of chaos at the beach, as he stomps on sand structures on the beach.
Below, Disney revealed the first look at CGI-Stitch during its D23 panel.
An earlier version of this story misstated that the live-action remake was expected to debut sometime in 2024.
