No outfit repeating for Lizzie McGuire. The Disney+ revival series of the Disney Channel original is not moving forward, Hilary Duff announced via Instagram on Wednesday, December 16.
“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 everywhere trying to make a reboot work but, sadly and despite everyone’s best efforts, it isn’t going to happen,” the actress, 33, posted. “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 more in the amazing woman she would’ve been in 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 2020s made of.”
Ever since the revival was first announced in August 2019, there has been drama surrounding the show. Original stars Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine, Jake Thomas, Adam Lamberg and Lalaine were all set to reprise their roles in the upcoming revival, as Jo, Sam Matthew, Gordo and Miranda, respectively.
While production slowly began on the series, it hit pause in January. Original series creator Terri Minsky exited the show the same month as Disney said the show was headed “in a different creative direction” than planned.
“Was incredibly excited to launch ‘Lizzie’ on D+ and my passion remains!” the Younger star wrote via Instagram in February 2020. “However, I feel a huge responsibility to honor the fans’ relationship with LIZZIE who, like me, grew up seeing themselves in her.”
She continued, “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.”
