Zach Galifianakis signs up for Disney’s Lilo & Stitch

Comedian and actor Zach Galifianakis (“The Hangover”) signed a very interesting role with Disney. He plays the main role in the live-action adaptation of the hugely successful animated film Lilo & Stitch. The Hollywood Reporter. Details of Galifianakis’ role are being kept under wraps, but he has reportedly signed on to star in the next film.

Zach Galifianakis will star in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch

According to the report, the project is currently in development for Disney+. The film is directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, creator of the animated film “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.”

The new film will be a live-action remake of the 2002 hit animated film. The original film was a success for Walt Disney Studios, grossing $145 million domestically and $273 million worldwide on an $80 million budget. The original film was co-directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. Sanders also served as the original voice of Stitch in the first film, its direct-to-video sequel, and the animated television series “Lilo & Stitch: The Series.”

The original story was set in Hawaii and followed a young girl named Lilo (Daveigh Chase) who is being raised by her older sister Nani (Tia Carrere). After taking Lilo for a dog, she ends up adopting Stitch, who is actually an alien lab experiment created to destroy her. Despite Stitch’s destructive nature, the pair bond, becoming true friends and eventually family.

THR notes that Disney is currently looking for actors to play Lilo and her sister. The stitch will be a CG creation. However, the report does not note who will be voicing Stitch, such as whether Sanders will be returning to the role or Galifianakis himself.

The screenplay for the live-action adaptation was written by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, who previously worked on Disney’s Moana. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich are producing the project under the Rideback banner. The film was produced by Rideback’s Ryan Halprin.

If he does indeed play a live-action character in the film, it will be Galifianakis’ first live-action role in a major studio film since 2018’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” another Disney project.

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In 2021, Galifianakis voiced Ron, an awkward high school automaton best friend, in Ron’s Gone Wrong with Disney’s Twentieth Century Studios and Locksmith Animation. Prior to this role, her last live-action studio film was 2018’s A Wrinkle in Time, also released by Disney. He reprized his role as Felix Fischoeder in last year’s “The Bob’s Burgers Movie,” released by Disney 20th Century Studios. He also voiced Mr. Link in LAIKA’s 2019 stop-motion animated film ‘Missing Link’.

He recently starred in the hit FX television series “Baskets,” which ran for four seasons and 40 episodes. The show ended in 2019. Galifianakis received two Primetime Emmy Awards in 2014 and 2015 for his comedy interview show “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis.”

(embed)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xs5W5VRILY(/embed)

In addition to “Lilo & Stitch”, the comic book is also being made into two films. In the next film, “The Beanie Bubble,” he stars opposite Elizabeth Banks, which will follow the toy craze of the 1990s. The film will later be streamed on Apple TV+. Another upcoming film role is “The Winner,” a new Susanna Fogel drama about a reality-cheeked whistleblower.

Fleischer Camp is on to big things as a filmmaker thanks to the acclaim for ‘Marcel the Shell Shoes’. The film was nominated for an Oscar in the category of best animated film.

Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” is still in development and doesn’t have an official release date yet. As THR noted, the project is currently being produced as a Disney+ feature, so it looks like it will stream exclusively on that platform.