Lizzie McGuire is headed back to the screen—albeit with a delay. Variety reported in January that original Lizzie McGuire creator Terri Minsky is “stepping away from her role as showrunner” on the Disney+ revival. The outlet confirmed that production on the series was on hiatus as Disney searched for a new showrunner and star Hilary Duff honeymooned with her new husband, Matthew Koma.
Now, Duff has spoken out about the interruption—and discussed where she hopes the show will go next. (Hint: it’s not Disney.) As previously reported, the Lizzie McGuire reboot will follow an adult Lizzie as she navigates life in New York City. The show started filming in early November.
Here, everything we know about the reboot of our favorite character—and all the actors who will be joining her onscreen.
Why is the Lizzie McGuire reboot delayed?
At the start of the year, Disney released a statement confirming the show’s break, following the exit of OG series creator Terri Minsky. “Fans have a sentimental attachment to Lizzie McGuire and high expectations for a new series,” said a Disney spokesperson. “After filming two episodes, we concluded that we need to move in a different creative direction and are putting a new lens on the show.”
News about filming stalled until February 26, when The Hollywood Reporter reported that a Love, Simon-inspired series, Love, Victor would move from Disney+ to Hulu. The shift was reportedly due to the show’s “adult themes,” including, “alcohol use, marital issues (among the parents) and sexual exploration.” Duff shared a screenshot of the news to her Instagram Story, circling the headline and writing, “Sounds familiar..”
The star’s post suggests that Lizzie McGuire could follow series Love, Victor and High Fidelity in moving from Disney+ to Hulu.
What do Duff and Minsky want to happen next for Lizzie McGuire?
Shortly after Duff’s cryptic Instagram Story, she spoke out more officially about the reboot. On February 28, she published her full statement to Instagram, which read:
“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. 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.”
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If Minsky had her way, that’s exactly what would happen for the show. “I am so proud of the two episodes we did,” Minsky told Variety in an interview. “Hilary has a grasp of Lizzie McGuire at 30 that needs to be seen. It’s a wonderful thing to watch. 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. That’s the part where I am completely in the dark. It’s important to me that this show was important to people. I felt like I wanted to do a show that was worthy of that kind of devotion.”
News of the showrunner’s ousting was broke by Variety two days before Duff returned from her honeymoon, and multiple sources tell that outlet that Minsky, her writing staff, the production team, and Duff learned of her removal from the story. (Variety notes that Minsky declined to confirm this.)
Per Variety, Disney, Minsky, and Duff agreed upon “a more adult version of Lizzie for the revival.” That is, reportedly until Disney executives “were on set and were aware of content that would be featured on the show.”
In a statement to the outlet, Disney reaffirmed that a search for a new showrunner is ongoing and that the series will continue. “We paused production on Lizzie McGuire a few weeks ago to allow time for some creative re-development,” the statement said. “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.”
The journey to a new version of the reboot may be a difficult one. Variety writes in its piece, “It is possible the show could still move forward if a new showrunner is able to balance the desires of both Duff and Disney, but that appears increasingly unlikely, sources with knowledge of the show indicate.”
How has the pandemic impacted production?
COVID-19 shut down virtually every film and TV production earlier this year. However, in a recent interview with E! News Duff said she’s still been in communication with the Lizzie McGuire reboot team. “We are very much still in conversation with them a couple of times a week, which is really nice,” she told the outlet, adding, “We started shooting, and then obviously that got on hold for a couple of different reasons not involving the pandemic. But you know what, I have high hopes that we are going to make it work.”
The actress went on to confirm that even the project has been put “on pause,” she still feels “optimistic that it will happen.” Duff revealed, “A lot of writing is happening. We are being told to have patience, which is good, so I feel optimistic.” Still, she said Lizzie fans “can continue to be vocal about wanting to see the show” in the meantime.
As of July 2020, Duff is still optimistic about the future of the reboot. “I feel just as excited as everyone else,” she told Cosmopolitan in a recent interview. “Obviously, I have felt love for that character and I feel particularly dedicated to the fans about making the exact show that it should be. So you know, we started shooting, we stopped shooting and went back to the drawing board with Disney+, Disney, and myself to come up with something that works for all of us, and we’re still in the middle of that process.”
When will the series be out?
There’s still no official release date for the show.
Duff revealed news of the reboot on Instagram in August, shortly after the show was announced at the D23 Expo. “SURPRISE!!! I’ve been trying to contain this excitement for a loooong time while this has been in the works!” she wrote. “I am beyond excited to be home again, back with my girl ♥️…and into her 30’s.”
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On October 29, Duff revealed she has begun filming the new series. She took to Instagram to share a photo of herself dressed as the iconic character in New York City’s Washington Square Park. Duff captioned the snap, “Happy first LIZZIE day!!!!! NYC…..cue the rain 😏 ✌🏻 ☺️ 🎥 #lizziemcguire.”
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It’s likely Duff will continue sharing behind-the-scenes peeks at the show on her Instagram. On November 19, she shared a shot of herself in character, wearing a Lisa Frank shirt and Lizzie’s signature bangs.
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What will it be about?
The new series will follow Lizzie in New York City on the cusp of her 30th birthday. An official description of the project reads:
The new story picks up as Lizzie McGuire is just about to turn 30. She seemingly has it all—her dream job as an assistant to a fancy New York City decorator, her dream guy, and a picturesque Brooklyn apartment—but things aren’t always as they seem. With a little help from her friends, her loving family and her 13-year-old alter-ego in animated form, Lizzie navigates the ups and downs of adulthood.
Duff spoke to Entertainment Tonight about reviving the beloved character in a new phase of her life. “It feels very surreal, to be honest. I’ve been living with this information for a few months now, so it’s been very hard to even contain my excitement,” she said. “She’s such a big part of me and my life, and now she’s 30, and I feel like I’m going to have to learn some of her quirky faces again. But I’m excited!”
While she kept most of the details under wraps, Duff did hint at the possibility that many of the original cast members will be returning for the reboot.
“The chances are high! I can’t tell you too much, but I think that people are going to be very surprised and excited.”
So which cast members can we expect to return?
On October 24, Disney+ confirmed that Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine, and Jake Thomas will reprise their roles as mom Jo, dad Sam, and brother Matt McGuire, on the upcoming reboot. A photo of the TV family at a read-through of the show’s first episode hit Twitter on Thursday.
“We are incredibly excited to bring back one of the most popular Disney Channel series of all time along with some beloved and familiar faces,” said Ricky Strauss, Disney+ president, content & marketing, in a statement. “With Terri at the helm and Hilary, Hallie, Robert, and Jake back after all these years, it’s our honor to welcome the McGuire family into the Disney+ family.”
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Disney+ confirmed in November that Adam Lamberg, who played Lizzie’s best friend/potential love interest on Lizzie McGuire, will appear in the reboot of the series.
“Gordo was an essential piece of the puzzle to what made the original Lizzie McGuire so authentic and beloved,” Hilary Duff said in a statement. “I couldn’t imagine the series without him. I can’t wait for fans to see what he’s up to 15 years later and how he fits into Lizzie’s adult world.”
McGuire and Lamberg also confirmed the news with a video on the official Disney+ Twitter account, with Lamberg joking, “This is what dreams are made of.”
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Are Lizzie and Gordo still A Thing?
Though Lamberg is returning to the show, it’s unclear if the Lizzie-Gordo love story developed in 2003’s The Lizzie McGuire Movie will continue. They won’t be together at the start of the series. During an appearance on Good Morning America, Duff said Lizzie “has a gorgeous fiancé who is this chef at this cool Soho restaurant.” She added that, at the revival’s start, “She has a cute little apartment in Brooklyn and everything is going her way and she’s celebrating her 30th birthday with all of her friends.”
In an interview with Vulture, Duff clarified that Lizzie would return to LA, “She’s not going to stay in Brooklyn too long, actually. That’s where she’s been, but she’ll be coming back to Los Angeles. She’s forced out of New York. She’s like, I can’t be here anymore.“
When asked if she was upset that Gordo didn’t ultimately end up with Lizzie, Duff replied, “You know what, I don’t know if I was as devastated by that,” adding, “I feel like them not being together is what was so good…it’s that one person that you’re like, Was he the one? Is it ever going to be? You’re always kind of wondering. We wanted it to hurt everyone a little bit, and it’ll continue to hurt.”
What about Lizzie’s longtime crush Ethan Craft?
Although the status of Lizzie and Gordo’s relationship is TBD, Duff hinted to E! that her feelings for the popular Ethan Craft (Clayton Snyder) linger. “He is hot. He’s very hot,” she admitted. “I’m pretty sure there’s going to be, there’s going to be a thing.”
Have Duff’s kids seen Lizzie McGuire re-runs?
Duff, who is now a mother of two, said that her oldest child, 7-year-old Luca, isn’t exactly as excited as the rest of the world to see Lizzie coming back to the small screen.
“He got really into it and then he’s like, ‘I’m done,’” she told People. “I think he’s pretty fascinated to see me so young, not looking the same. He knows that’s his mom but he got over it fast. It’s pretty funny, he’s not there yet. I feel like I need to let him know that this was the show that started it all for me and what’s gonna happen when the second phase of that is happening.”
She also reflected on what it was like to revisit the 2003 movie with her son Luca and partner Matthew Koma with E! . “I have been watching a lot of shows and I figured, I should probably watch the movie, too,” she said. “I haven’t seen it since the premiere night. That was a really crazy time in my life. I had had a lot of Lizzie McGuire. I shot 65 episodes in under two2 years and then did the movie and I was like, ‘I never want to see her again.’ And then, as I got older, I realized how much I love her, and how much that means to me, and how important of a character that was in my life.”
Is there potential for a Lizzie McGuire/Hannah Montana crossover?
During that interview with Cosmo, reporter Tainaya Nash asked Duff if another Disney Channel star could make an appearance on the reboot. After Duff recently appeared on Miley Cyrus’s Instagram Live show Bright Minded, where the star called Duff her idol, Duff told Cosmopolitan, “I love Miley, I recently was on her show that she created during the quarantine, and she’s just awesome, She’s always showing me so much love and it kind of embarrasses me in a way. I’m like, come on, you’re like the epitome of cool and it’s really sweet that she’s just so vocal about being a fan growing up with me and I love her.”
Duff said she didn’t rule out a Cyrus cameo, adding, “And I don’t know, I’ve never thought about a Hannah Montana and Lizzie McGuire crossover, but never say never! Anything goes these days, right?”
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