Posted in: Disney+, streaming, Trailer, TV, YouTube | Tagged: bleeding cool, cable, disney, disney plus, hilary duff, hulu, lizzie mcguire, streaming, television, tv

Lizzie McGuire: Hulu Exec's Comments Will Not Be Music to Fans' Ears

Things have been pretty quiet on the Lizzie McGuire front for some time now, which is definitely not a good sign. Why? Because at a time when broadcast networks, cable networks, and streaming services are starving for original content, the fact that things have gone quiet on Hilary Duff's return to the character speaks volumes. Well, now it looks like we have an update and you know what? Sometimes silence truly is golden, because at least it can help keep hopes alive. While Duff has been doing a hard push for the returning series to move from Disney+ to Disney-owned Hulu, it would appear that Craig Erwich, Hulu's head of original content, isn't quite feeling that same sense of urgency. Speaking with Vanity Fair about the streaming service's long-term strategy, Erwich seemed appreciative of Duff's Hulu love but didn't see too committed to the idea: "I appreciate her fandom. We have not had any conversations with Hilary Duff around her show."

A month after series creator Terri Minsky and Disney+ had a parting of the ways over the revival series' creative direction and production on the series was put on hiatus, Duff took to Instagram to reaffirm where she would like to see "Lizzie" land: "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."

Variety writer Joe Otterson offered a look behind the scenes on what's being on (and wrong) with the revival – here are some highlights from the article. Duff's interest in going for a more "adult" return to the character was evident in an Instagram story she posted regarding the move of Love, Victor to Hulu with the words "family-friendly" circled (should be able to still see it here). Speaking with Variety after "parting ways" with Disney+, Minsky praised Duff's older, more mature portrayal of Lizzie McGuire – so much so that a move to Hulu was welcomed: "I am so proud of the two episodes we did. 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."

Sources in the Variety report stated that the streaming service, Minsky, and Duff were all on the same page regarding the creative approach to the new series and what it would include. While Minsky would not comment on how she learned about her firing and production being suspended, it's being reported that she, her writing staff, the production team, and Duff only learned of the show's status after the initial Variety report went to post (with Variety reaching out to Disney before going live). Duff was on her honeymoon in Mozambique with husband Matthew Koma when she learned the news. Original series cast members Adam Lamberg, Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine, and Jake Thomas, along with writers and production staff, are still waiting for a decision on the show's future.

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