Chris Sanders, the co-creator of Lilo & Stitch, will direct Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch 2, The Hollywood Reporter reported Thursday. Sanders co-wrote and co-directed the 2002 animated original and has voiced Stitch since the character’s debut, including in the 2025 live-action remake.
Sanders was already attached to the sequel as its screenwriter. Disney hired him to write the script in July 2025, and the new assignment adds directing duties. The sequel will tell a new, original story rather than adapt the franchise’s direct-to-video follow-ups. Jonathan Eirich is producing through Rideback, with Ryan Halprin as executive producer, and cameras are expected to roll before the end of 2026.
The sequel follows one of 2025’s highest-grossing releases. The live-action Lilo & Stitch, directed by Dean Fleischer Camp from a screenplay by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes, grossed $1.009 billion worldwide, including $423.7 million domestically. THR’s report does not address Fleischer Camp’s involvement in the sequel.
Sequel announced on “626 Day”
Disney announced Lilo & Stitch 2 on June 26, 2025, a date fans mark as “626 Day” after Stitch’s designation as Experiment 626 in the original film. The writing hire followed within weeks.
Sanders’ recent work
Sanders most recently wrote and directed DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot (2024), which earned three Academy Award nominations and won nine Annie Awards. His earlier credits include co-directing How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods and directing the 2020 live-action The Call of the Wild. He is also developing a sequel, The Wild Robot Escapes.
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