'Hey now, this is what 2020s made of.'
The Lizzie McGuire reboot is dead. Hilary Duff shared the news in a message to fans on Wednesday, revealing that despite everyone's best efforts, they just couldn't make the show work.
"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," Duff wrote. "I know the efforts and conversations have been everywhere trying to make a reboot work, but sadly & despite everyone's best efforts, it isn't going to happen."
"I want any reboot of Lizzie to be honest and authentic to who Lizzie would be today," she explained. "It's what the character deserves."
The actress concluded, "We can all take a moment to mourn the amazing woman she would have been and 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."
Lizzie McGuire was first announced to be getting a reboot on Disney+ in August 2019, and a first look at the series was shared in January.
Duff -- who starred as Lizzie McGuire on the Disney Channel series from 2001 to 2013 -- was set to reprise her role Lizzie, who was now a millennial navigating life in New York City. The character was on the cusp of her 30th birthday, working her dream job as the apprentice to a top designer and dating her dream man. She also still had 13-year-old Lizzie blabbering around in her head.
However, just days after the first look was released, original creator Terri Minsky exited the project after filming two episodes. Production paused to search for a new showrunner.
Minsky expressed that she would like the series to move over to Hulu, after Variety reported that the Love, Simon TV show was pulled from Disney+ for not fitting with the "family-friendly" content the streaming service offers -- and Duff agreed.
"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," Duff wrote on Instagram in February.
While the reboot didn't work out, fans got to see the cast back together again for a virtual table read earlier this year. Watch below.
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