Get ready to welcome your favorite blue alien back to the screen. As we learned in 2018, Disney is making a live-action version of its 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch. The story follows the alien Stitch as he crashes on Earth and befriends Lilo, an orphan. It’s the kind of movie that makes you laugh out loud before making you cry. This is why it’s perfect that Disney has hired Marcel the Shell with Shoes On director Dean Fleischer-Camp to helm the live-action Lilo & Stitch. Additionally, Lilo & Stitch set its release date for May 23, 2025.
The movie found its lead in newcomer Maia Kealoha. Kealoha will star as Lilo in the movie. Disney has also shared our first look at live-action Stitch. Take a look below.
In addition, Sydney Elizabeth Agudong has been cast as Nani, Courtney B. Vance has been cast as Cobra Bubbles, and Kaipot Dudoit will play David Kawena. A couple of new characters will also appear in the movie. Billy Magnussen and Zach Galifianakis have also come aboard the film. Finally, it seems likely that Chris Sanders, the original voice of Stitch, will also return for the live-action movie.
Nerdist confirmed only the directorial news in an interview with Fleischer-Camp. Fleischer-Camp couldn’t share any further details about the upcoming live-action Lilo & Stitch movie, but he did confirm his involvement. He noted, “I’ve been pitching it on it for months. I love that movie so much. I will work my ass off to get it right and to make a great live-action movie out of it.”
Fleischer-Camp told me how much he loves Stitch’s line at the end of the movie, “This is my family. I found it, all on my own. It’s little, and broken, but still good.” He calls it, “One of the most profound, moving lines in the history of cinema.” Earlier reports connected Jon M. Chu to the project, but the reports never panned out.
Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois wrote and directed the animated movie about six-year-old Lilo, her teenage sister Nani, and the blue alien Lilo named Stitch. We hope to see all of our favorite characters in the film. I especially can’t wait to see who they cast as Cobra Bubbles.
And if you’d like to see why Fleischer-Camp is the perfect choice for live-action Lilo & Stitch, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is now available to watch.
Originally published on July 14, 2022.
Amy Ratcliffe is the Editor-in-Chief for Nerdist and the author of Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy, The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, The Jedi Mind, and more Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.