Hilary Duff says 'Lizzie McGuire' revival has been called off

Duff wanted a more adult version of 'Lizzie' for the revival while Disney wants a show that would appeal to kids. Photo: Filepic

The planned Lizzie McGuire revival is officially dead at Disney Plus.

Series star Hilary Duff made the announcement on Instagram on Wednesday, saying "I've been so honoured to have the character of Lizzie in my life."

"I know the efforts and conversations have been everywhere tyring to make a reboot work but, sadly & despite everyone's best efforts, it isn't going to happen," she continued.

"I want any reboot of Lizzie to be honest and authentic to who Lizzie would be today. It's what the character deserves."

"Lizzie McGuire fans have high expectations for any new stories," a Disney spokesperson said in a statement.

"Unless and until we are confident we can meet those expectations, we've decided to hold off and today, we informed the cast's representatives that we are not moving forward with the planned series."

The revival of the popular Disney Channel show had been in the works at Disney Plus since 2019, but production ground to a halt at the beginning of the year when Lizzie McGuire creator and revival showrunner Terri Minsky was removed from that role on the show.

Production on the show began in November but had paused in early January as Duff was going on her honeymoon in Mozambique. Two days before she returned, Variety broke the news that Minsky would be fired.

According to multiple sources, Minsky, her writing staff, the production team and Duff learned that Minsky was being removed as showrunner only after the Variety story was published, despite Variety having reached out to Disney for comment hours prior to publication.

Variety also exclusively reported on the behind-the-scenes issues that led to Minsky's unceremonious exit. In short, Duff and Minsky wanted to do a more adult version of Lizzie for the revival, while Disney wants a show that would appeal to kids and families, something more akin to the original series.

Sources say Disney was initially on board with Minsky and Duff's take, but the company decided to move in a different direction with the series after the first two episodes were completed. – Reuters