Disney+ is gearing up to begin production on their next live-action remake, Lilo & Stitch. Filming on the project is expected to begin in two weeks in Hawaii and now we have a small update on the project.
According to Reel News Hawaii, the working title for Lilo & Stitch is “Bad Dog”, which is a reference to when Lilo first adopts Stitch at a local animal shelter thinking he is a dog. Additionally, the production company is Blue Koala Pictures Inc. again, a reference to stitch as he has Koala-like features to him.
Like the animated original, the remake follows Nani, who is left to care for her young sister, Lilo, following the tragic loss of their parents, is finding it increasingly difficult to keep her head above water, while also working and going to school part-time. When the social worker suggests giving Lilo more responsibilities, Nani decides adopting a dog might be a good idea, but is in for a heck of a surprise when Lilo insists on taking home a rambunctious, out-of-control and undisciplined “dog” that she dubs, “STITCH.” However, Stitch, it turns out, is an escaped alien experiment from a distant planet, being stalked at every turn by agents looking to capture and extinguish him. However, the seemingly irredeemable Stitch is happy to discover that being loved and being part of a family are the most important things in the world — or, more accurately, the universe.
Zach Galifianakis (A Wrinkle in Time) is on board to play Pleakley, an extraterrestrial character, and a self-proclaimed expert on planet earth, who reluctantly becomes Dr. Jumba Jookiba’s partner when forced to assist him in capturing the escaped Experiment 626 [Stitch], and later becomes his best friend and roommate when the two are marooned on Earth.
Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) is set to direct. Attached to produce are Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback, who are coming off 2019’s billion-dollar hit remake of Aladdin and are also producing the Disney+ Inspector Gadget film, as well as the Haunted Mansion reboot. Studio execs Zoe Kent (Sade) and Louie Provost (Togo) will oversee the production.