Deadline has reported that Marcel the Shell with Shoes On director Dean Fleischer-Camp has been tapped to helm the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch for Disney.
Disney first announced the Lilo & Stitch remake four years ago and had originally been talking with Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) to direct. With Dean Fleischer-Camp on board, the project will start moving forward. It’s not known whether Lilo & Stitch will be a theatrical feature or be developed for Disney+, but Chris Kekaniokalani Bright is in final negotiations to pen the script. Germain Lussier of io9 just happened to be interviewing Dean Fleischer-Camp for Marcel the Shell with Shoes On when the Lilo & Stitch news broke. “I’m hugely [excited],” Camp said. “I did not know they were going to announce that today. It’s great—now I don’t have to keep it a secret anymore.“
The original Lilo & Stitch film told the story of a young Hawaiian girl named Lilo and an extraterrestrial dog-like creature known as Experiment 626, but he’s soon given the name Stitch after being adopted by Lilo. Although Stitch is a force of chaos and destruction, he eventually develops a close bond with Lilo and together the pair avoid the pursuing aliens who have been dispatched to capture him. The film spawned several direct-to-video sequels as well as a couple of TV shows.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On premiered at the Telluride Film Festival last September and began a limited release on June 24th before its wide release on July 15th. The film has been receiving rave reviews and is currently sitting at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.