Kaipot Dudoit will replace newcomer Kahiau Machado as David in Disney+’s live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch.” According to THR, the recasting was due to previous posts in which Machado used racial slurs that were uncovered on social media.
Previously announced cast includes newcomer Maia Kealoha who will play Lilo in the movie, Sydney Elizabeth Agudong who is set to play Lilo’s older sister and legal guardian, Nani, Jolene Purdy who will play child services agent Mrs. Kekoa, Courtney B. Vance who will play Cobra Bubbles and Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) and Billy Magnussen (No Time to Die) in undisclosed roles.
Chris Sanders is in final negotiations to voice the character of Stitch. Sanders, who wrote and directed the original feature alongside Dean DeBlois, voiced the creature, which he also created, in the 2002 Lilo & Stitch, as well as Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2003-06). Tia Carrere, who originally voiced Nani in the first film, will also play the newly created Mrs. Kekoa, while Amy Hill will star as a new character named Tūtū.
The remake is said to follow the same story as the 2002 animated film which follows the friendship formed between a lonely human girl named Lilo and an alien named Stitch.
Dean Fleischer-Camp, the filmmaker behind Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, will direct the movie on a screenplay written by Mike Van Waes.
Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback (2019’s Aladdin) are producing the film, with Ryan Halprin serving as an executive producer.
Production on the project began this week on the island of Oahu and will continue over the next eight weeks under the working title Bad Dog.
“Lilo & Stitch” will stream exclusively on Disney+, however, a release date has not been announced yet.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter