I don’t think anyone could have called just how big the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch could have been. The 2025 movie release has made huge waves, with its place as Hollywood’s first 2025 hit to cross $1 billion worldwide being the latest. Disney’s certainly hanging ten, with Lilo & Stitch 2 already announced as being in the works. Brace yourselves, because the first big hiring for the live-action sequel has seen an interesting development in the writer’s room.
Chris Sanders Is Apparently Being Lined Up To Write Lilo & Stitch 2
Per news being reported by THR, co-creator/writer Chris Sanders is in “final negotiations” to write Lilo & Stitch’s next adventure! There’s no word on who will be directing the project, except that it won’t be Sanders. To be fair, The Wild Robot 2 is also currently in development, so it’s not like he’s left behind or forgotten Experiment 626 and his Ohana.
The news couldn’t have come at a better time, with the live-action Lilo & Stitch now released to PVOD ahead of its physical release on August 26th. Also, with San Diego Comic Con getting underway, the subject is bound to be discussed among cosplayers, panel attendees and Disney adults alike. That means two things are definitely bound to come up in conversation: Lilo & Stitch’s controversial ending and the absence of the remake’s original writing team.
The Absence Of Lilo & Stitch’s Remake Writing Team Isn’t Automatically Bad News
Notably absent from this news, besides director Dean Fleischer Camp, are writers Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Chris Van Waes. As the final credited scribes for 2025's Lilo & Stitch, it’s wild that they wouldn’t be along for the ride on a follow-up for which they clearly opened the door.
In the wake of the uproar caused by various additional tweaks like the absence of Captain Gantu and Dr. Jumba Jookiba’s heel turn, some may see this as a housecleaning. The hypothetical reason being that Nani's supposed "abandonment" of Lilo has ruffled some feathers.
I don’t think that’s necessarily the case, as we don’t even know when this Lilo & Stitch sequel is aiming to land on Earth. What could end up happening is that Chris Sanders writes a couple drafts to establish the basic story, and then Bright and Waes can jump in to add some extra texture based on the previous film.
Although fans who noticed some of the easter eggs and plot twists in the third act may already have an idea of where things are headed next. It’s all up in the air at this point, but if Chris Sanders is returning to write Lilo & Stitch 2, it’ll have a fantastic foundation to do something new, while also keeping to the threads of franchise lore that are still open. For now, you can get into a little mischief with Lilo, Stitch and the gang, as Lilo & Stitch is available for purchase and rental on PVOD.
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