Latest news with #Hawaii-set
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Lilo & Stitch actor dies weeks after film premiere
Actor David Hekili Kenui Bell, who appeared in the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, has died. Mr Bell's sister Jalene Kanani Bell shared the devastating news in a touching statement posted to Facebook on Sunday. 'It is with a heavy heart I share that my sweet, generous, talented, funny, brilliant and handsome little brother David H. K. Bell will spend today in the company of our Heavenly Father,' she wrote. 'He was and will remain a bright and shining star. He recently made it onto the big screen with an iconic Lilo & Stitch moment.' The Disney live-action remake premiered on May 23. Ms Bell said her brother proudly took their family to the opening night in Kapolei, Hawaii. 'He planned ahead and purchased the best seats in the house for us all to go together to opening night in Kapolei just two short weeks ago,' she added. Lilo & Stitch premiered on May 23. Credit: Disney 'We talked about and were so energised by the fans dressed in L&S gear head to toe.' Mr Bell's cause of death was not shared. He also appeared in episodes of the Hawaii-set shows Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I. , in addition to commercials for Kona Brewing. Alongside acting, Ms Bell said he loved doing voice-overs. 'You can hear him over the PA system on arrival at Kona Airport where he loved working to create an awesome and safe customer experience.' Ending her statement, Ms Bell vowed to keep the memories with her brother alive. 'Hug your loved ones today ... our last time together after returning home from the movie was just sitting on my living room couch talking about life, having a seltzer and doing a little genealogy. 'Blessed by this and all the big and small moments. I will keep our memories alive.'
New Indian Express
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
A24 in talks with Darren Aronofsky to direct Dwayne Johnson-starrer Breakthrough
This marks Johnson's second collaboration with A24. He is set to appear in Benny Safdie's The Smashing Machine, slated for an October release. Best known for his blockbuster and family-friendly roles in films like Jungle Cruise and Red One, Johnson has recently been aligning with more auteur-driven ventures. He's also attached to a Hawaii-set mob drama directed by Martin Scorsese, starring alongside Emily Blunt and Leonardo DiCaprio. As for Aronofsky, Breakthrough would come on the heels of his upcoming crime thriller Caught Stealing.
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Spoilers! How the new 'Lilo & Stitch' ending is even more 'emotional'
Spoilers! How the new 'Lilo & Stitch' ending is even more 'emotional' Show Caption Hide Caption Young new star, Maia Kealoha joins Stitch from 'Lilo & Stitch' Hollywood's newest young star, Maia Kealoha, joins Stitch in studio to talk new remake 'Lilo & Stitch' Spoiler alert! We're discussing major details about the ending of Disney's live-action 'Lilo & Stitch' (in theaters now). Beware if you haven't seen it yet and don't want to know. The original "Lilo & Stitch" had a high-flying finale, centered on an air chase between alien spaceships. But in the live-action remake, director Dean Fleischer Camp ("Marcel the Shell With Shoes On") was keen to bring the story back down to Earth, with a tear-jerking third act that diverges almost entirely from Disney's 2002 animated hit. For the uninitiated, the Hawaii-set comedy follows a lonely little girl named Lilo (Maia Kealoha) who adopts a "dog" called Stitch. Unbeknownst to her, Stitch is actually a mischievous alien experiment who escaped his home galaxy and is now being hunted by extraterrestrials. As a result, Lilo gets caught in their crosshairs and winds up getting kidnapped herself. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox Here's how the two films' endings differ: How did the original 'Lilo & Stitch' end? And how was it changed after the Sept. 11 attacks? At the end of the original "Lilo & Stitch," Stitch pilots a spaceship through a Hawaiian mountain range on a mission to rescue Lilo, who has been held captive on another alien spacecraft. Initially, the animated movie was set to end with Stitch hijacking a Boeing 747, taking a joyride as he zips through buildings in a crowded Hawaiian cityscape. But after the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the movie was retooled with a new finale before being released in theaters on June 21, 2002. 'The animated film had a very different ending that was impacted by 9/11,' Camp says. 'They had to totally rejigger that third act. It's kind of a miracle that it makes as much sense as it does, and is as powerful and iconic as it is.' What is the new ending of the 2025 live-action 'Lilo & Stitch' movie? The live-action movie ends with Lilo and Stitch on a spacecraft together, after Stitch has been abducted by an extraterrestrial mad scientist named Jumba (Zach Galifianakis). But when Jumba's ship crashes into the ocean, the little girl and her furry blue companion get trapped at the bottom of the sea by debris. Stitch frees Lilo from the wreckage, and she attempts to swim with him up to the surface. Realizing that he's weighing her down, Stitch mournfully pulls Lilo's hands away and sinks to the ocean floor while Lilo floats back up to safety. Lilo's sister, Nani (Sydney Agudong), dives down to retrieve and help revive Stitch, although he nearly pays with his life. 'In some of the ways that we deepened the emotional realities of the human characters, we also did that with Stitch,' Camp says. 'He starts the film as a self-interested weapon of destruction, who only cares about cake and drinking coffee and ruining things. In fact, he only goes with Lilo in the beginning to save himself; he is using her as a meat shield at the animal clinic' so Jumba won't shoot at him. But ultimately, Camp adds, 'Stitch sacrificing himself for Lilo felt like the natural catharsis for a character who starts off so selfish.' Is there a 'Lilo & Stitch' end credits scene? The animated movie ends with Lilo, Nani, Stitch, Jumba and the alien Pleakley (played by Billy Magnussen in the remake) all becoming a happy family, with Polaroid pictures of them reading, dancing, eating and watching movies together. The latter snapshot – of the humans and aliens snuggled on a couch – was inspiring for Camp. 'I was thinking, 'What is something that could work in this live-action adaptation that embodies the essence of that image and how it makes me feel, but is also not the exact same?' ' Camp says. He landed on a mid-credits scene of Nani visiting Lilo and Stitch, who are being cared for by their neighbor Tūtū (Amy Hill) while Nani attends college. The three of them curl up in bed, with Lilo and Nani each saying, "Good night, sister." Stitch chimes in with his own variation of "Good night, sisters," before drifting off to sleep. The sweet sequence is a callback to an earlier scene in the film, as Nani lays with Lilo on her bedroom floor and looks at the plastic stars on her ceiling, which form the "Three Sisters" constellation. Stitch's garbled pronunciation (sounding more like "goody, snissers") is also a slight nod to Jenny Slate's talking mollusk in Camp's "Marcel the Shell" movie. 'There's a small moment in 'Marcel the Shell' where I mention a Mitsubishi car and Marcel says, 'Mitzy-bibbi,'" Camp says. "I don't know why that kind of humor just makes me laugh, but that's why that made its way in there.'
Time Out
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Smash '00s romcom ‘50 First Dates' is being turned into a major new London musical
The blurb for this major new musical describes the 2004 Adam Sandler flick it's adapted from as 'one of the most popular romcoms of all time', which is conceivably pushing it, but certainly there are plenty of millennials who will look back fondly on the Hawaii-set comedy about a womanising marine veterinarian who falls for an art teacher who shows no memory of him the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that, etcetera. It's coming to The Other Palace in Victoria, which is very much off-West End rather than West End, but that looks like something of a treat for us: the musical comes with a powerhouse US creative team at its helm, most notably director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw, whose UK hits include Mean Girls and a little show called The Book of Mormon, strongly suggesting this run is a de facto Broadway tryout. The songs and book are by David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, whose work hasn't been seen over here, but they have strong comedy pedigree – the show is shaping up to be more com than rom. Exactly how close to the spirit of the original film it'll be remains to be see: 2004 was a long time ago, and there are aspects of the movie that have potentially dated, notably the running gag about Henry's ambiguously gendered assistant Alexa. Plus his crew includes a penguin and a walrus, although these all seem like fun challenges rather than insurmountable obstacles. It's a Brit cast, with Josh St. Clair (who starred in the recent UK tour of Ghost) as Henry and in the role originally played by Drew Barrymore Mean Girls alumnus Georgina Castle will star as amnesiac art teacher Lucy. Tickets are on sale now.
Forbes
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Disney Lands Martin Scorsese's Upcoming Thriller Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Dwayne Johnson And Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt, Dwayne Johnson, Leonard DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese 20th Century Fox, now a Disney division, has secured the distribution rights of Martin Scorsese's untitled Hawaii-set crime thriller, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. The movie will be based on the true story of a mob boss who fought to preserve his ancestral lands in the 1960s and 1970s. Johnson took to Instagram to share the news as well. He said, 'Our Hawaiian crime saga now has a home at 20th Century and Disney. I was a little boy growing up in Honolulu when this real life story was taking place and these real men-ruthlessly did what they had to do for respect, money, power but more importantly- for the reclamation of our Polynesian culture.' He added: 'Working with Marty as his vision for our story begins to take focus, has been a gift to witness and absorb. I'm honored to work with this inspiring creative team, and even more blessed to call them my friends.' Journalist and author Nick Bilton will work on the script which will be based on his own upcoming book that he co-authored with Johnson. The movie is also said to be in the vein of Scorsese's cult classic Goodfellas and The Departed while the idea for the film originated from Blunt, who will also co-produced via Ledbury Productions, alongside Johnson via Seven Bucks Production, DiCaprio for Appian Way Productions, Scorsese for Sikelia Productions and Bilton for True Story Productions.
