Deadline reports that Emmy-winning actor Courtney B. Vance is the latest addition to the cast of Disney+'s live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch.
He will play Cobra Bubbles, the former CIA agent with a big heart who becomes a social worker and is tasked with keeping an eye on Nani and her sister Lilo. Bubbles once saved the planet and convinced an alien race that mosquitoes were an endangered species, so he's not exactly shocked when he encounters Experiment 626!
Ving Rhames lent his voice to the character in the 2002 animated movie and has long been a fan-favourite choice to reprise the role in live-action (other actors to have played Bubbles across various animated projects include Terrence C. Carson, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Richard Epcar).
Vance is a powerhouse actor who counts the likes of Lovecraft Country, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, The Mummy, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent among his many credits.
While he's not necessarily the type of actor we pictured in this role, we could definitely buy Vance as a retired CIA agent who has an imposing presence.
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. Newcomer Kahiau Machado, meanwhile, will star as David Kawena.
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.
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.