Hilary Duff opens up about why the Lizzie McGuire reboot never happened. Premiering on the Disney Channel in 2001 and running until 2004, the original Lizzie McGuire starred Duff in the titular role. She played a teenager navigating personal and social issues with the help of her animated self. The show was a hit with audiences, spawning a feature film and helping to launch its lead actor into greater success.
Back in August 2019, it was revealed that a revival of Lizzie McGuire was in the works for Disney+. Duff would reprise her role as the title character, with original series creator Terri Minsky serving as showrunner. The revival, which was planned to center on Lizzie at the age of thirty while living in an apartment in New York City, quickly ran into trouble. Minsky departed as showrunner in January 2020 after the first two episodes had been filmed, due to creative differences with Disney. And, in December of that year, Duff announced on social media that the Lizzie McGuire continuation would not be happening.
During an interview with SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, Duff opened up about why the revival struggled to get off the ground. In her comments, Duff referred to the differences of opinion that ultimately stopped Lizzie McGuire from moving forward. The actress added that, in her view, it only made sense that Lizzie would act like an adult living in the modern world. You can read Duff’s quote, from E! Online, below.
“That’s kind of been the battle. Like I don’t want to call it a battle cause everyone’s on very like loving terms between, you know, me and Disney, but that that’s been the thing. I think they’re really trying to figure out what kind of content they want living on Disney+, and that doesn’t totally align with, like, where I see Lizzie right now, you know, and I’m like very protective of her and they’re very protective of her. It only makes sense to me to shoot a show where she’s acting like a 30-year-old in a modern world.”
This matches with what Duff has said in the past, hinting via social media that the revival stalled because it wasn’t viewed as “family-friendly” by Disney+ executives. The actress would even publicly push for the new Lizzie McGuire to move to Hulu, as had been done with Love, Victor, and High Fidelity, because it would allow for a more honest depiction of Lizzie’s adult life. Though it would later emerge in reports that the revival included references to cheating and sex, many have since pointed out that the flagship shows of Disney+ contain stark physical and emotional violence. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier features a character being bludgeoned to death, most notably, which still fell under the purview of what was deemed acceptable by the streaming service.
With the news that Duff would star in Hulu’s How I Met Your Father, a HIMYM spinoff which will see the actor playing the thirty year-old Sophie, it does seem that Disney’s sticking point was its idea of the Lizzie McGuire brand, and what the show should signify. Unfortunately for fans hoping to see Duff reprise her memorable role, it’s a specific idea that doesn’t a lot for a lot of growth or exploration.
