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. Lilo is a lonely Hawaiian girl who adopts a small ugly “dog,” whom she names Stitch. The remake is said to follow the same story as the animated film that followed a young girl’s close encounter with the galaxy’s most wanted extraterrestrial. Chu was tapped to direct the project last year, but has exited the project to focus on Universal’s Wicked remake, an untitled Thai cave rescue project and the upcoming Crazy Rich Asians sequel, China Rich Girlfriend.
The studio is also prepping this film as a part of their original films for Disney+. The characters are as follows, Adah, Horatio, Elijah, Celia, Kaliban, Cardi (no, not B.), and Zola. The project is being developed for a theatrical release and starts production this September. Disney is also looking to cast actors for brand new characters not shown in the previous incarnations of the various Lion King films. The studio is currently casting for actors to play the roles of young Scar and Mufasa. The film use a Godfather: Part II approach. This adaptation is expected to explore the origin of Mufasa. The upcoming follow-up to the highest-grossing live-action remake, The Lion King will be directed by Academy Award nominee Barry Jenkins. Alan Silvestri will be working with Glen Ballard to write new songs for the film, though classics such as “When You Wish Upon a Star” will also be included. The film will combine live-action and visual effects. The film will be directed by Robert Zemeckis, best known for the Back to the Future franchise and Forrest Gump. The film stars Tom Hanks as Gepetto, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket, Luke Evans as The Coachman, Keegan-Michael Key as Honest John, Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy, with Lorraine Bracco as a new character, Sofia the Seagull, and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as the titular Pinocchio.
Another project heading to Disney+ is the live-action adaptation of Pinocchio.