As we near the production of Lilo & Stitch, a live-action remake of the 2002 film, the cast is starting to take shape.
The Hollywood Reporter has broken the story that Sydney Elizabeth Agudong will star in the film as Nani, the sister and legal guardian of the titular Lilo. At the time of writing, Disney has not confirmed the news yet.
She’ll join recent newcomer Maia Kealoha, who plays Lilo, and Zach Galifianakis, who joined the cast in February. Deadline also recently reported that Billy Magnussen would join the cast as well. Disney’s latest live-action remake comes from Marcel the Shell With Shoes On’s Dean Fleischer Camp, helming the project fresh off his Oscar nomination.
Lilo & Stitch was released in 2002 and is considered a box office success, grossing over $273 million worldwide. Despite its money and a Best Animated Feature nomination at the 75th Academy Awards, the film never made the same splash as its peers but it would later grow a cult following, and the original movie would see several sequels and television series. The franchise included three direct-to-video sequels, starting with Stitch! The Movie, and three television series, including the sequel series Lilo & Stitch: The Series.
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The story follows Lilo Pelekai, raised by her older sister Nani, and Stitch, an alien creature with the code name Experiment 626. Together, these two wreak havoc and become best friends in the beautiful location of Kauaʻi, Hawaii. Dr. Jumba Jookiba and Agent Wendy Pleakley created Stitch and are on the hunt for him, while Cobra Bubbles, a former CIA agent working as a case worker on Lilo and Nani’s living situation. The story hit hard on living in Hawaii and sisterhood themes and played to the misfits like no other Disney movie before it.
