Rebooting a beloved series is inherently tricky business, but revitalizing aughts sitcom Lizzie McGuire has proved messier than most.
Parting ways with original series creator and showrunner Terri Minsky, the Disney+ production ground to a halt with limited explanation and no new leader in sight earlier this year. In January, a spokesperson told multiple outlets that Minsky had completed two episodes but that Disney execs had concluded there was a "need to move in a different creative direction."
On Tuesday night, star Hilary Duff — who teased the Disney+ series as a mature continuation of her now thirty-something character's life at D23 last year — made a post to her Instagram Story that seemed to reveal more about the show's turmoil.
"Sounds familiar," Duff wrote on a screenshot of this article from The Advocate, titled "Love, Simon TV Show Pulled From Disney+ as It's Not 'Family-Friendly.'"
Per reporting from Variety, the LGBTQ-inclusive YA series was recently moved to Hulu due to the show's depictions of alcohol use and sexual exploration, and a belief that such content would not fit in with Disney+'s younger subscribers.
Many adult fans took Duff's cryptic post to indicate the same issues are now being raised with Lizzie McGuire — which Variety confirmed with additional reporting on Wednesday.
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According to Variety's unnamed sources, Disney was initially keen to collaborate with Duff and Minsky on a more adult Lizzie McGuire. However, a desire to appeal to young audiences prevailed, resulting in Minsky's firing and Duff's disillusionment with the project.
Per Variety and Deadline, the Disney+ reboot has not yet been canceled.
“We paused production on Lizzie McGuire a few weeks ago to allow time for some creative re-development,” a Disney spokesperson told Variety. “Our goal is to resume production and to tell an authentic story that connects to the millions who are emotionally invested in the character, and a new generation of viewers too.”
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Many fans have voiced the belief that an adult show is only fitting of Lizzie's adult audience, and that Disney+'s marketing raised hopes for a series they didn't intend to create. Moreover, getting kids to root for an adult woman in the Brooklyn dating scene seems precarious at best. Why should current 12-year-olds care?
Still there's hope that the show Minsky and Duff imagined will reach audiences.
In an interview with Variety shortly after her dismissal, Minsky wished for the Lizzie McGuire reboot to receive treatment similar to the Love, Simon series. "I am so proud of the two episodes we did," she told the publication. "I would love the show to exist, but ideally I would love it if it could be given that treatment of going to Hulu and doing the show that we were doing."
On Friday, Duff doubled down, asking that Disney consider a move to Hulu. "Was incredibly excited to launch 'Lizzie' on D+ and my passion remains!" Duff wrote in an an Instagram post.
"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."
Fan comments on the post indicated strong support for Duff, with many echoing her and Minsky's call for a movie to Hulu. Mashable has reached out to Disney+ for comment.
UPDATE: Feb. 28, 2020, 8:09 p.m. EST This story has been updated to reflect Hilary Duff's Feb. 28 statement on the status of the reboot.
Topics Disney+
