What Is Going On With The Lizzie McGuire Reboot on Disney+?
A few months ago we shared the exciting news that 00s Disney favourite Lizzie McGuire would be returning thanks to Disney+.
But now months later we’re no closer to seeing Lizzie McGuire. So what’s actually going on?
Production Has Been Suspended On The Show
After confirming the return of Hilary Duff in the title role, as well as the original supporting cast, the Lizzie McGuire reboot seemed to be off to a great start.
The cast shared images from behind the scenes of shooting and everything looked great, we even got a short clip of Lizzie as part of a Disney+ promo video…and then things fell apart.
Production for the show was shut down in January. According to Variety, the show’s creator, Terri Minsky, quit her role as the showrunner.
A Disney spokesperson said this was necessary in order for the show to live up to the hype. They said, “Fans have a sentimental attachment to Lizzie McGuire and high expectations for a new series. After filming two episodes, we concluded that we need to move in a different creative direction and are putting a new lens on the show.”
Does Lizzie Mcguire fit in with Disney+ in 2020?
I was very excited when the Lizzie McGuire reboot was announced, but I wasn’t entirely sure who the target audience was.
Although I’m sure that all episodes from Lizzie McGuire and the movie will be available on Disney+ to draw in new viewers, it’s the viewers that grew up with Lizzie who would really want to watch the show.
Lizzie is now 30, so there is a certain expectation to have her dealing with age appropriate issues and not have her acting like a teenager. I’m not surprised that the show ran into issues once this become obvious as they were shooting.
Hilary Duff Wants The Show Moved To Hulu
Well, last week, Hilary Duff took to Instagram to hint that the reason the show was put on hold was because it wasn’t “family friendly” enough for Disney—and then she took her discontent with the network public, asking if the reboot could be moved to Hulu (which is owned by Disney) instead.
She posted a statement on Instagram talking about why the show shouldn’t have to maintain a PG rating, and explained why the rating would be doing everyone a “disservice.” Hilary shared:
Was incredibly excited to launch “Lizzie” on D+ and my passion remains! However, I feel a huge responsibility to honor the fans’ relationship with LIZZIE who, like me, grew up seeing themselves in her. I’d be doing a disservice to everyone by limiting the realities of a 30-year-old’s journey to live under the ceiling of a PG rating. It’s important to me that just as her experiences as a preteen/teenager navigating life were authentic, her next chapters are equally as real and relatable. It would be a dream if Disney would let us move the show to Hulu, if they were interested, and I could bring this beloved character to life again.❤️
What do you think about the issue with Lizzie McGuire? Should Disney move it to Hulu or forget about making a reboot altogether?