Breaking Down Every Story Line From the ‘Lizzie McGuire’ Reboot That Never Saw the Light of Day
The Lizzie McGuire reboot may have been canceled but that doesn't mean fans haven't gotten some details.
The Disney Channel show, which aired from 2001 to 2004, introduced Hilary Duff in the role of 13-year-old Lizzie McGuire as she attempted to navigate the personal and social issues of being a teenager. Lalaine, Adam Lamberg, Jake Thomas, Hallie Todd and Robert Carradine also starred in the series before it came to an end.
In 2003, Disney released The Lizzie McGuire Movie, which followed Lizzie and her friends as they celebrated their junior high graduation with a trip to Italy. There were other failed attempts to continue the Lizzie McGuire legacy, including an animated version of the series and a spinoff centered around Miranda and her younger singer, who was played in the pilot by Selena Gomez.
It wasn't until 2019 that Disney+ announced plans to revive Lizzie McGuire with Duff's support.
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“I loved that character, obviously. There were times when I never wanted to hear her name again, and there were times when I was extremely grateful for the experience, having her in my life just like everybody else had her and for all of the opportunities that it created for me,” Duff exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2019. “After meeting with Disney on multiple occasions about possibly bringing it back, finally the story line felt right."
In January 2020, production was paused on the revival and series creator Terri Minsky exited the show later that month. Following her departure, Disney expressed that the show was headed "in a different creative direction" than planned. Duff confirmed in December 2020 that the revival series was officially canceled.
"I’ve been so honored to have the character of Lizzie in my life. She has made such a lasting impact on many, including myself. To see the fans’ loyalty and love for her, to this day, means so much to me. I know the efforts and conversations have been everywhere trying to make a reboot work but, sadly and despite everyone’s best efforts, it isn’t going to happen," Duff wrote via Instagram at the time. "I want any reboot of Lizzie to be honest and authentic to who Lizzie would be today. It’s what the character deserves. We can all take a moment to more in the amazing woman she would’ve been in the adventures we would have taken with her. I’m very sad, but I promise everyone tried their best and the stars just didn’t align. Hey now, this is what 2020s made of."
Three years after fans' hopes were dashed, screenwriter Jonathan Hurwitz took to TikTok to share details from the first two scripts of the reboot.
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of the story line revelations:
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Lizzie and Gordo's Relationship Status
In a January 2024 video, Hurwitz confirmed that Lizzie and Gordo (Lamberg) were not the central love story of the series. (Lizzie and Gordo initially got together in the 2003 movie and some fans were hoping to see the rekindle the romance as adults.)
“Lizzie meets up with Gordo, who she’s just kind of been in touch with via text over the years, occasionally,” Hurwitz shared. “Gordo reveals that he is engaged to a woman and she’s pregnant and they’re really happy.”
In another video, Hurwitz offered more details on their offscreen split, saying, "It just felt more realistic to us that they drift a little bit as they got older, and now they're reconnecting as they're going through these major life changes. In episode 2, we actually had a line from Gordo to Lizzie about them dating on the flight home from Italy before Lizzie dumped him at baggage claim."
Lizzie's Hookup With an Old Flame
Despite the third episode of the reboot not being filmed, Hurwitz recalled how Lizzie would have reunited with her former crush Ethan (Clayton Snyder).
“Episode 3 wasn’t filmed, but there was a script for it. Lizzie wakes up in Ethan’s bed in his water polo T-shirt,” Hurwitz continued, noting that Lizzie “checked off” her Ethan box twice. “If I had to guess ... that moment was probably one of [the reasons Disney was uncomfortable].”
According to Hurwitz, other changes since the OG show included Lizzie going by "Elizabeth" while working as an interior designer in New York.
Catching Up With Miranda
Miranda didn't make an appearance in the 2003 Lizzie McGuire film — but there were attempts to have LaLaine involved in the reboot.
"We didn't want fans of the original to feel like we'd abandoned that Miranda-Lizzie relationship," Hurwitz said in a January 2024 TikTok video. "So we were absolutely planning a storyline for her. We talked a lot about adult Miranda, and her being a musician was part of the discussion, so someone who's on tour with a band."
He added, "Her being queer was also part of the discussion, so you likely would have met the woman she was in a relationship with."
Updates on the Other Characters
The screenwriter said Lizzie's dad Sam (Carradine) would reveal in the reboot that he had a "minor heart attack" that the family never told her about while she was away. As for Lizzie's former nemesis Kate Sanders (Ashlie Brillault), the character wasn't going to appear on the show due to the actress' departure from Hollywood.
"The actress that played her, I believe she's an attorney, which was brought up in the room and I don't believe she's in the acting game anymore, so we weren't planning a story line for her," Hurwitz shared in January 2024. "I think had she maybe been open to doing it, we could have found a small way to do a cameo."
