In a TikTok video, Jonathan Hurwitz reveals adult-themed storylines that might make Disney+ heads uncomfortable about the planned reboot starring Hilary Duff.
- Jan 18, 2024
AceShowbiz - Writer of "Lizzie McGuire" reboot opened up about why the project got canceled. In a TikTok video, Jonathan Hurwitz revealed adult-themed storylines that might make Disney+ heads uncomfortable.
According to Jonathan, the production team had written and filmed the first two episodes of the then-planned Disney+ series. The first episode saw Hilary Duff's titular character living in New York City as an interior designer. At one point, she decided to return to her childhood home in California, where she met the animated Lizzie, after she caught her chef boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend.
In her childhood home, Lizzie reunited with her best friend Gordo. When people were led to believe that Lizzie and Gordo would be the end game, she found out a surprising fact about him. It turned out that Gordo was happily engaged and was about to be a father.
Before the second episode ended, Lizzie received a message from her childhood crush, Ethan Craft. They didn't get to film the third episode because Disney+ appeared to be against the plot.
"Episode 3 wasn't filmed, but there was a script for it," Jonathan explained in the clip. "Lizzie wakes up in Ethan's bed, in his water polo T-shirt. Animated Lizzie pops up and she has this little checklist, like a to-do list, and Ethan is on the list and she checks it off."
He continued, "I think she says something like, 'I checked that box -dramatic pause- twice.' So if I had to guess, I saw another comment about certain storylines [about] why Disney wasn't comfortable with it, my guess was… that moment was probably one of them."
Hilary reportedly wanted to make the new series show a more mature Lizzie to reflect her age, while Disney+ hoped to keep it family friendly. Even though "Lizzie McGuire" is one of the most beloved franchises on the Disney Channel, the creative differences between Hilary and the executives at the streaming service forced the reboot project to get scrapped.
Prior to the cancellation, the actress appeared to be optimistic. During her appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" last year, she said, "Disney+ was very new and I think they were figuring out their… and we were figuring out our… and I am optimistic."
