It’s unclear if Galifanakis will be voicing Stitch, portraying another alien, or if his role is an original character in the remake.
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
The “Lilo & Stich” live-action remake is assembling its Ohana. Zach Galifankis has been cast in the upcoming Disney+ film, IndieWire has confirmed.
Details of Galifanakis’ character is being kept under wraps, so it’s unclear if the “Hangover” star will be playing a live-action character, or if he’s voicing a CGI character such as the lovable Stitch himself. Because the original animated film centered primarily on Native Hawaiian characters, Galifanakis will likely be playing either a new character for the film or one of the aliens in the cast, like Stitch, antagonist Captain Gantu, or a member of the iconic odd couple Jumba and Pleakly.
The beloved original animated film focuses on Lilo, a young girl struggling after the death of their parents. When she encounters Stitch, a bizarre dog-like creature created by an alien scientist to be the ultimate destructive force, Lilo adopts the stray and brings it into her home — inadvertently putting her and her sister Nani’s lives in jeopardy in the process. Directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, the film was positively received when it was first released in 2002, grossing $273.1 million worldwide and receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. Three direct-to-video sequels followed, along with a successful Disney Channel animated series.
The film is set to be directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, a current Oscar nominee for last year’s “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” animated feature. Chris Kekaniokalani Bright wrote the screenplay for the film, which is produced by Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback and produced by Ryan Halprin.
“Lilo & Stitch” is one of Galifianakis’ first live-action film projects in several years. After starring in “The Sunlit Night” and releasing a film version of his “Between Two Ferns” online talk show in 2019, the actor has mostly done voiceover roles on animated films like “Ron’s Gone Wrong” and “The Bob’s Burgers Movie.” Other upcoming projects from the comedian include “The Beanie Bubble” with Elizabeth Banks and the Reality Winner biopic “Winner.”
Galifianakis is repped by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Yorn Levine.
The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report Galifankis’ casting in the film.
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