Disney's Live-Action Lilo & Stitch Movie Casts The Hangover's Zach Galifianakis [Update]
Update: The Wrap reports that Galifianakis is playing Pleakley, the alien "Earth expert" who is charged with hunting down Experiment 626 (aka Stitch). Pleakley was voiced by "The Kids in the Hall" cast member Kevin MacDonald in the animated film. Original article follows.
Never thought you would read these two titles in the same headline, did you? Well, that obviously changes now, because Disney+'s remake of "Lilo & Stitch" has found its first (human) actor in "The Hangover" star Zach Galifianakis.
The Hollywood Reporter exclusively revealed that Galifianakis has signed on for an undisclosed leading role. If you think it's weird that his was the first name to be announced, no need to worry, because the trade says that Disney is currently conducting "a wide search" for the perfect actresses to bring Lilo and her sister Nani to life. Disney has not commented on the casting, so we don't know if Galifianakis will be providing the voice for Stitch, or maybe an alien like Jumba Jookiba or Pleakley. Maybe he's playing an entirely new character.
This is the latest piece of news on the live-action remake, which had seemingly slowed down production due to a lack of public updates. Hopefully that's because the creative team is tooling the production to be the best it can possibly be. It is surprising, though, that "Lilo & Stitch" is still on track to be a Disney+ exclusive. Earlier this month, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced plans to reconfigure the company's approach to their releases in an attempt to better balance their theatrical and streaming output. Given how strong of a fan following "Lilo & Stitch" has, it's a bit disappointing that it's not currently planned for a theatrical release, even if the original film was not as financially successful as other Disney movies of the time. That said, filming hasn't even begun yet, so the release plans still have plenty of time to change.
What we know about Lilo & Stitch
Galifianakis is currently the only actor attached to "Lilo & Stitch," but it's likely that more names will be announced in the future. We do know some of the creatives tasked with revamping the 2002 animated film for a new audience. Dean Fleischer Camp, whose incredibly charming film "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" is nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar, is set to direct. However, don't expect Stitch to be a stop-motion creation like our good friend Marcel, as The Hollywood Reporter says that he will be rendered in CGI.
While the original "Lilo & Stitch" was faithful to the culture of its Hawaiian setting of Kaua'i, the film did suffer from a lack of Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) creative involvement. That won't be the case with its remake, as Chris Kekaniokalani Bright served as its sole screenwriter. We hope that this is extended to other aspects of its production, especially the actors for Lilo and Nani. Dan Lin, Jonathan Eirich, and Ryan Halprin are currently slated as the film's producers.