Disney’s live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch has been in development for a few years now. The COVID-19 pandemic sadly set the project back, but now there is finally an update.

According to Discussing Film’s Jacob Fisher, Lilo & Stitch is set to begin next February in Hawaii. The insider also added that casting on the project is currently ongoing, so expect to hear additional updates on the project soon. Reel News Hawaii, who has a good beat on filming schedules in Hawaii also added to Fisher’s report saying, “we just came across a casting notice posted today seeking Lilo, Nani, Tutu, Ms. Kekoa and David! Filming is listed as Feb – May!!”

Back in August, just before Disney’s D23 Expo, we heard that Disney still plans to release the film as a Disney+ Original Movie, something we originally reported on back in 2020. Fisher has also backed our reporting.

The remake is said to follow the same story as the animated film that followed a young girl’s close encounter with the galaxy’s most wanted extraterrestrial. Lilo is a lonely Hawaiian girl who adopts a small ugly “dog,” whom she names Stitch. Stitch would be the perfect pet if he weren’t, in reality, a genetic experiment who has escaped from an alien planet and crash-landed on Earth. Through her love, faith, and unwavering belief in ohana, the Hawaiian concept of family, Lilo helps unlock Stitch’s heart and gives him the ability to care for someone else.

Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell With Shoes On) is set to direct with Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback producing. Studio execs Zoe Kent (Sade) and Louie Provost (Togo) will oversee the production.