At the D23 Expo on Friday, it was announced that a reboot of the early 2000s series Lizzie McGuire would be coming to the new streaming platform Disney+. The announcement was met with a positive reaction from fans, as reported by BuzzFeed.
Very limited details were given about the series, and the premiere date for the show is not yet available. However, it was confirmed that Hilary Duff would be reprising her role as Lizzie McGuire for the show. The series is to follow a 30-year-old Lizzie as she attempts to navigate life in New York City. It has not been confirmed yet whether any other characters from the original series would be joining the cast of the reboot.
A recent article from The Hollywood Reporter also noted that the reboot’s showrunner would be the series’ original creator Terri Minsky. Minsky created the comedy series Lizzie McGuire for the Disney Channel in 2001. In the show, Lizzie is a 13-year-old girl who wants to become popular at school. Throughout the show, a cartoon animated version of Lizzie appears and speaks directly to the audience as a representation of Lizzie’s inner thoughts and feelings.
The show was a critical success receiving two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Children’s Program during its run. Lizzie McGuire was also a huge financial success for the Disney Channel. Fortune magazine estimated in 2003 that the show had made the Walt Disney Company nearly $100 million. The spinoff 2003 film The Lizzie McGuire Movie alone grossed more than $55 million worldwide.
Given the past financial success of the show, a Lizzie McGuire reboot seemed like a safe bet for the starting roster of Disney’s new streaming platform, Disney+. The show will join a plethora of new content being offered on the platform, including new Star Wars and Marvel series, High School Musical series, and several unscripted shows.