Zach Galifianakis Signs On For Live-Action Version Of Disney's Lilo & Stitch

Comedian and actor Zach Galifianakis ("The Hangover") has signed on for a very interesting role for Disney. He will star in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the hit animated feature, Lilo & Stitch, per The Hollywood Reporter. Details on Galifianakis' role are being kept secret, but he's reportedly signed a deal to star in the upcoming feature.

According to the report, the project is currently in the works for Disney+. Dean Fleischer Camp, the filmmaker behind the acclaimed animated feature "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" is directing the film.

The new film will be a live-action remake of the 2002 hit animated film. The original film was a hit for Walt Disney Studios, grossing $145 million at the domestic box office and $273 million worldwide off of 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 television animated series, "Lilo & Stitch: The Series."

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

THR notes that Disney is currently searching for actors to portray the roles of Lilo and her sister. Stitch will be a CG creation. However, the report does not note who will be voicing Stitch, such as whether it will be Sanders returning to the role, or if it will be Galifianakis himself.

Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, who previously worked on Disney's "Moana," penned the script for the live-action adaptation. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich are producing the project under the Rideback banner. Rideback's Ryan Halprin is executive producing the film.

If he's indeed playing 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," which was another Disney project.

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In 2021, Galifianakis teamed up with Disney’s Twentieth Century Studios and Locksmith Animation to voice Ron, the automated best friend of an awkward middle-schooler in “Ron’s Gone Wrong.” Prior to that role, his last live-action studio movie was 2018’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” also released by Disney. He reprised the role of Felix Fischoeder in last year's "The Bob's Burgers Movie," which was released by Disney's 20th Century Studios. He also voiced Mr. Link in the 2019 stop-motion animated feature from LAIKA, "Missing Link."

More recently, he starred in the hit FX television series, "Baskets," which ran for four seasons and 40 episodes. The show concluded its run in 2019. Galifianakis also received two Primetime Emmy Awards for his comedic interview talk show, "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis," in 2014 and 2015.

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Besides "Lilo & Stitch," the comic also has two more movie roles in the works. He stars opposite Elizabeth Banks in the upcoming film, "The Beanie Bubble," which will follow the 1990s toy craze. The film will stream on Apple TV+ later on. Another upcoming film role is "Winner," a new Susanna Fogel drama on whistleblower Reality Winner.

Filmmaker Fleischer Camp looks to have big things ahead due to the acclaim of "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On." The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature.

Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" is still in the works and does not have yet an official release date. As noted by THR, the project is currently being produced as a Disney+ feature, so it looks like it will stream exclusively on that platform.