Jon M. Chu is in early talks to direct a live-action remake of Disney’s 2002 hit, ‘Lilo & Stitch.’
via People:
The film will be produced by Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback, who worked on the live-action version of Aladdin, with Rideback’s Ryan Halprin serving as executive producer.
Disney is looking for another writer to work with Chu, should the deal go through, to develop the current draft of the film which was written by Mike Van Waes.
The original film, written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, follows a lonely Hawaiian girl named Lilo, who finds Stitch, an alien who actually is a genetic experiment and crash-landed on earth. Lilo adopts Stitch, thinking he’s a dog, and eagerly makes him a part of her family with her older sister Nani.
Lilo & Stitch inspired a television series that ran from 2003 to 2006 and several direct-to-video sequels.
It is unclear whether the live-action film will debut in theaters or on Disney+.
Chu recently found a home at Disney in October when he signed on to direct and executive produce the Willow series.
He also directed In The Heights, the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway musical, which is set to debut in 2021.
Disney has brought many of its classics back to life within the past few years.
Some notable revival successes include Mulan, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson, The Jungle Book, with Idris Elba, and Cinderella starring Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother.
‘Lilo & Stitch’ doesn’t get the flowers it deserves — so we’re excited to see this manifest!
