After a bunch of well publicised production issues, Hilary Duff confirms that the much-anticipated Lizzie McGuire reboot is dead.
Welp, this felt a bit like a slow-moving trainwreck headed towards an ultimately inevitable conclusion didn’t it?
So the Lizzie McGuire reboot was announced back in 2019 and was to premiere on Disney+ with Hilary Duff reprising the titular character. But after a promising start to filming the show, things quickly unravelled in January 2020 as the showrunner and original series creator Terri Minsky left the production due to creative differences with Disney.
It was reported by Variety that Duff and Minsky wanted a more adult take on the show while Disney were aiming for something for kid-friendly. Filming was then put on hiatus where it’s been ever since.
And now we have official word that the entire project has been scrapped despite all the work and filming that’s gone into it.
Taking to Instagram to announce the news, Duff shared a lengthy post revealing that efforts to retool the Lizzie McGuire reboot to suit both the creative team and Disney’s vision didn’t work out, saying that she wanted the “reboot of Lizzie to be honest and authentic to who Lizzie would be today.”
Here’s Duff’s full statement:
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“I’ve been so honored to have the character of Lizzie in my life. She has made such a lasting impact on many, including myself. To see the fans’ loyalty and love for her, to this day, means so much to me.
“I know the efforts and conversations have been everything trying to make a reboot work, but sadly [and] despite everyone’s best efforts, it isn’t going to happen. I want any reboot of Lizzie to be honest and authentic to who Lizzie would be today.
“It’s what the character deserves. We can all take a moment to mourn the amazing woman she would have been and the adventures we would have taken with her.
“I’m very sad, but I promise everyone tried their best and the stars just didn’t align. Hey now, this is what 2020’s made of.”
And with that, we have another promising project get canned. It’s a shame too as this reboot was sounding pretty interesting as per the official synopsis: “As Lizzie McGuire is just about to turn 30. She seemingly has it all – her dream job as an assistant to a fancy New York City decorator, her dream guy and a picturesque Brooklyn apartment – but things aren’t always as they seem. With a little help from her friends, her loving family and her 13 year-old alter-ego in animated form, Lizzie navigates the ups and downs of adulthood.”
Oh well, guess we’ll have to add the Lizzie McGuire reboot to the long list of Hollywood “what ifs.”
