It didn’t take long after Hillary Duff broke the news for fans to start asking why the Lizzie McGuire reboot was canceled by Disney Plus. The titular star, 33, took to Instagram on Wednesday, December 16, to confirm the series cancelation with an emotional post. “I know the efforts and conversations have been everything trying to make a reboot work, but sadly despite everyone’s best efforts, it isn’t going to happen,” read part of her statement (the rest of which you can read below).
While Duff didn’t say outright what caused the cancelation, she has dropped some not-so-subtle hints in the past. The status of the Lizzie McGuire reboot was in limbo ever since January 2020, after Terri Minsky—the showrunner for the series’ original run—left the reboot over “creative differences.” Duff didn’t comment on the shakeup at the time, but about a month later, she made her position clear when she reacted to Hulu’s acquisition of Love, Victor (the sequel to Love, Simon) after Disney+ passed on the series for not fitting in with its “family-friendly” vision. “Sounds familiar…” Duff wrote on her Instagram Stories. The comment raised suspicions that her “adult storyline” for The Lizzie McGuire reboot wasn’t fitting with the lens Disney+ had in mind, HollywoodLife reported at the time, citing a “cheating scandal” in the pilot episode’s script.
The Lizzie McGuire star later made her stance clear in a statement released on February 28. “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,” she wrote. “I’d be doing a disservice to everyone by limited the realities of a 30-year-old’s journey to live under the ceiling of a PG rating.”
She continued, “It’s important to me that just as her experiences 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.”
The potential for the series to be moved to Hulu raised hopes for some (as Lizzie’s intro song says, “We’ll figure it out on the way). But 10 months after her plea to Disney+ to allow the show’s move, it seems the Lizzie McGuire reboot is officially canceled for the time being. Duff made her formal announcement with a lengthy statement shared to Instagram:
“I’ve been so honored to have the character of Lizzie in my life,” Duff began. “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 despite everyone’s best efforts, it isn’t going to happen.”
The star added, “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.”
Source: Stylecaster.com
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