Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch has found its Nani, Lilo’s older sister and legal guardian, in Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Disney declined to comment.
Newcomer Maia Kealoha is playing Lilo, while Zach Galifianakis joined the cast in February. Stitch, naturally, will be a CG confection. Dean Fleischer Camp, the filmmaker behind indie darling and best animated feature Oscar nominee Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, is directing the remake that is intended to be a major release on Disney+.
The Hawaii-centric story tells of the bond formed between a lonely human girl named Lilo and a dog-like alien named Stitch, who was genetically engineered to be a force of destruction. With nosy social workers and pursuing aliens banging on the door, the two bond over a shared sense of family and win the day.
Chris Kekaniokalani Bright wrote the script for the adaptation. Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois wrote and directed the original feature that, while not an initial hit, developed a loyal fan base that has only grown over the ensuing years.
Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback are producing. Rideback’s Ryan Halprin is executive producing.
Agudong’s previous credits include NCIS, Infamously in Love, On My Block and the feature film West Michigan. She just wrapped her latest project as the lead role in an independent feature, At Your Feet. She was born and raised on the island of Kaua’i, Hawaii. Her younger sister is Siena Agudong, who is known for her roles on the Nickelodeon series Star Falls, the film Alex & Me and the Disney Channel original movie Upside-Down Magic, as well as Netflix’s adaptation of Resident Evil.
Agudong is represented by AEFH talent agency, Trilogy Talent Management, Inc., attorney Howard Fishman of HWHM+F and locally represented in Hawaii by the Kathy Muller Agency.
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