The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the latest addition to the cast of Disney+'s upcoming live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch is newcomer Kahiau Machado.
He's going to play David Kawena, the surfer with a major crush on Nani. He also befriends Lilo (Nani's sister) and finds himself pulled into the craziness that ensues when the duo adopt the fugitive alien.
Jason Scott Lee voiced David in Lilo & Stitch and Stitch Has a Glitch, with The Bad Batch star Dee Bradley Baker stepping in to play him in Stitch! The Movie and Lilo & Stitch: The Series. David is definitely a fan-favourite character, and it's good to see that a native Hawaiian actor has been chosen to play him in this movie.
Sydney Elizebeth Agudong was recently tapped to star as Nani, of course, with Maia Kealoha set to play Lilo. Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen have also joined the cast, with the prevailing theory online being that they're playing Jumba and Pleakley, respectively.
Stitch is obviously going to be a CG creation, while Cobra Bubbles and Captain Gantu are now the main roles left to be cast.
Lilo & Stitch is a tale of a young girl's close encounter with the galaxy's most wanted extraterrestrial. Lilo is a lonely Hawaiian girl who adopts a small ugly "dog," whom she names Stitch. Stitch would be the perfect pet if he weren't in reality a genetic experiment who has escaped from an alien planet and crash-landed on Earth.
The 2002 movie spawned several sequels and small screen spin-offs, but it was Lilo & Stitch which was the biggest hit after grossing $273 million worldwide on an $80 million budget. Since then, merchandise featuring the adorable alien has continued to dominate store shelves, particularly in recent years.
Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) is directing Disney+'s Lilo & Stitch, while Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders, and Mike Van Waes are all expected to receive writing credits. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback (Aladdin) are attached to produce the project.
As of right now, Lilo & Stitch doesn't have an official release date.