Fans of the classic Disney show Lizzie McGuire are ecstatic about the news that the series will be receiving a reboot 15 years after it first aired on the Disney Channel. The new show will be available on upcoming streaming service Disney Plus, which launches on November 12 in the US, Canada and the Netherlands.
Lizzie McGuire actress Hilary Duff appeared at Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, California to announce the news, bringing back waves of nostalgia for fans. The original series followed 13 year old Lizzie as she navigated middle school with her best friends Miranda and Gordo (played by Lalaine and Gordo respectively). It lasted for two seasons, running between 2001 and 2004, and there was also a movie in 2003 which documented Lizzie on a school trip to Rome.
The new and grown up Lizzie will be living in New York City and working as an apprentice to an interior designer. She’s also engaged to a man who is a chef at a restaurant in Soho. She has an apartment in Brooklyn, and the series will kick off with her celebrating her 30th birthday alongside all of her friends.
However, everything won’t be going her way for long, as apparently Lizzie will receive some huge news at the end of the first episode. What’s more, fans won’t know how Lizzie ended up in New York, but Duff has told Entertainment Weekly and People TV that the character ‘probably isn’t going to stay there for very long.’
For those who liked the cartoon 13 year old Lizzie, who played the voice in her head, the good news is this sassy character is returning, complete with the original outfit comprising a pink crop top and orange flip flops. Duff said that not everything will be familiar, though, as ‘there’s a lot of surprises in store’.
Lizzie fans will struggle to forget the ending of the 2003 movie, where she and Gordo finally kissed. This begs the question – will Gordo be in the Lizzie McGuire reboot? Speaking to Good Morning America, Duff refused to spill any details, but said ‘I think everyone’s dreams are going to be fulfilled by going on the journey of the show.’
So why is the reboot such a big deal for Lizzie fans? Duff told Entertainment Weekly: ‘[Lizzie] was everybody’s best friend. She was there for such pivotal moments in their preteen life. Entering your 30s is a really big deal. I think – and I think Disney agrees – but I think it’s just the right time for her to step back in and to have her go along with you in your 30s.’
As of August 2019, Duff said that the show hadn’t begun filming yet, so it’s likely that it won’t be available on Disney Plus until at least 2020.
