2002’s ‘Lilo & Stitch’ will be the next Disney animated classic to get the live action treatment. Newcomer Mike Van Waes has been tapped to pen the script. Van Waes previously wrote ‘Not In Kansas’, a ‘Wizard of Oz’ horror movie and ‘The Conjuring’ spin-off ‘The Crooked Man’, both of which are in production at New Line. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich will produce. The pair is also producing the live action ‘Aladdin’ which has wrapped and will be released on May 24, 2019.
‘Lilo & Stitch’ will be a feature-length live-action/CGI hybrid, but at this time, it is unknown whether this is intended to be a theatrical release or will be featured on Disney’s new streaming service, like the ‘Lady and the Tramp’ live action film.
The original ‘Lilo & Stitch’ told the story of a lonely Hawaiian girl named Lilo who finds and befriends a dog-like alien named Stitch who was created to be a weapon, but instead forms a loving bond with Lilo and her older sister/guardian Nani. While the movie wasn’t a smash hit at the time, it has become regarded as a classic and led to a TV series and multiple direct-to-DVD sequels. The original movie featured the voices of Daveigh Chase and Christopher Michael Sanders as Lilo and Stitch, respectively, plus Tia Carrere, Jason Scott Lee, Kevin McDonald, Ving Rhames, and David Ogden Stiers.
‘Lilo & Stitch’ is the latest live-action remake in Disney’s arsenal, following ‘Cinderella’, ‘The Jungle Book’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, and ‘Pete’s Dragon’ plus the upcoming ‘Dumbo’, ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Aladdin’. A ‘Little Mermaid’ movie is also in the works.
It’s no secret that while Disney strikes gold with most of their animated films, outside of these adaptations, the studio has struggled to find success with live action. It’s most recent picture, ‘Christopher Robin’ was only a mild success, but before that, ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ cost the studio money when it vastly underperformed.
What do you think of a live-action ‘Lilo & Stitch’?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
