This past Friday, the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG-AFTRA) announced it would begin striking following a failure to reach an agreement with the studios (AMPTP), which include Disney.  The actors union, along with the writers union (WAG), which went on strike back in May, both want better protection from AI, better working conditions and also more money from residuals from streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+.

Unfortunately, with the strike coming into effect, filming has now been shut down on many productions, which include the new Disney+ Original film, “Lilo & Stitch”, which was filming in Hawaii.    While many productions had been suspended due to the impact of the writer’s strike, “Lilo & Stitch” was able to continue and only had about a week left of filming before the actors went on strike.

This new live-action remake of Disney’s classic animated film tells the story of Stitch, a runaway genetic experiment from a faraway planet, who crash lands on Earth, and as he wreaks havoc on the Hawaiian Islands, he becomes the mischievous adopted alien “puppy” of an independent little girl named Lilo, and together they learn about loyalty, friendship and ‘ohana, the Hawaiian tradition of the family.

This new film is going to star Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) as Jumba, Chris Sanders (Stitch), Billy Magnussen (Aladdin) as Pleakley, and Jolene Purdy. It will also star Sydney Elizebeth Agudong (NCIS) as Nani, Kaipot Dudoit as David, Tia Carrere as Mrs. Kekoa and newcomer Maia Kealoha as the title character, Lilo. Courtney B. Vance will also be playing the role of Cobra Bubbles.

The new live-action version is being directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, who has previously directed the Oscar-nominated film, “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”. The script has been written by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, who is working on a previous draft by Mike Van Waes. It is executive produced by Dan Lin, Jonathan Eirich, Ryan Halprin and Tom Peitzman. The creative team is composed of production designer Todd Cherniawsky (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Trek: Picard); director of photography and second unit DP Nigel Bluck (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Deadpool); visual effects supervisor Craig Hammack (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Black Panther, Tomorrowland); and costume designer Wendy Chuck (About Schmidt, Nebraska and The Descendants).

No release date has yet been announced for “Lilo & Stitch”, but with filming now suspended until the strike is over, it might suffer from a delay.  But in the meantime, you can watch the original animated film on Disney+ now.

Are you looking forward to a new version of “Lilo & Stitch”? Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

View all posts