The actor — who performed Matt McGuire within the beloved sequence — reveals what he believes was the “most vital” situation behind the revival not coming to fruition, teases what his character was as much as within the first two episodes that have been filmed, and shares if he believes a revival may occur sometime.
The Lizzie McGuire Disney+ revival was what followers’ goals have been fabricated from … till it was sadly scrapped after solely two episodes have been shot.
Now, practically 5 years after star Hilary Duff introduced that the reboot was formally canceled, actor Jake Thomas — AKA Matt McGuire — is opening as much as TooFab about what went unsuitable, and whether or not or not he believes a revival will nonetheless occur in the future.
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For many who want a refresher, Lizzie McGuire — starring a teenage Duff because the titular character — ran on Disney Channel from 2001 till 2004, consisting of two seasons and 65 episodes. The present additionally spawned the beloved 2023 spinoff movie, The Lizzie McGuire Film.
In 2019, Disney introduced {that a} revival sequence was in growth, with the present to premiere on its streamer, Disney+, which hadn’t even launched but. (Sure, it has been that lengthy.)
The Lizzie McGuire reboot was mentioned to comply with the adventures of Duff’s titular character as she’s on the cusp of her thirtieth birthday, dwelling in New York and dealing as an assistant to an inside decorator, earlier than she moved again to her dad and mom’ dwelling after a breakup. Along with Duff and Thomas, the actors who performed Lizzie’s dad and mom, Hallie Todd and Robert Carradine, alongside together with her pal, Adam Lamberg, who starred as Gordo, have been set to reprise their roles.
The extremely anticipated revival sequence shot solely two episodes earlier than manufacturing was placed on pause when showrunner Terri Minsky, who additionally created the unique sequence, exited the present, reportedly on account of artistic variations with Disney. On the time, it was reported that Duff and Minskey wished a extra mature model of Lizzie McGuire for the reboot, whereas the Mouse Home wished one thing extra family-friendly. Duff shared a publicly plea for Disney to maneuver the sequence to Hulu in order that they may proceed to discover grownup topics — however the present was in the end axed in 2020.
Whereas talking with TooFab, Thomas shared particulars about what went down in these two episodes of the canceled reboot — nicely, these he thinks he is allowed to share — and recalled his disappointment when the reboot in the end broke down.
“For the reboot, of the 2 episodes that we shot, I am unsure even to this present day how a lot I can reveal of like, plot traces and stuff,” he admitted with amusing. “However I do know, I imply, sure issues have been deliberate.”
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“I do know that they have been, , attempting to steer the present in a sure path. After which, , different individuals at energy have been additionally attempting to steer the present in a special path,” he continued. “I’ll say that, , the primary two episodes sort of arrange Lizzie as , that is her life as an grownup millennial turning 30, and seeing her life in New York. After which in a short time all of it sort of falling aside, and her coming again dwelling, and sort of in a means having to start out from scratch, which I believe is sort of a enjoyable spin on it.”
As for what his character Matt was as much as, Thomas mentioned, “I used to be fairly pleased with what my character had. Matt was going to be simply annoyingly profitable. And simply rubbing, , Lizzie’s nostril in it, which I believe I simply, it is nice. It is unbelievable. I like that.”
“I am disillusioned that we did not get to discover much more with these characters and storylines. I do know there was a lot deliberate that was gonna be like, what?! However yeah, , I imply, that is the way in which it goes typically in Hollywood,” he added, noting that he is had his “justifiable share” of pilots that may by no means see the sunshine of day.
Thomas has beforehand pointed to a serious timing situation concerning the Lizzie McGuire revival cancelation in interviews, together with the pandemic. Nonetheless, he advised TooFab that there was a a lot greater issue: Disney+ hadn’t even launched but! And whereas the streamer began out kid-friendly, quick ahead to the current, Disney+ has content material for all ages, with Hulu additionally combining with the streaming service — one thing that Thomas identified.
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“After I mentioned earlier than that, like, it was a timing situation, I do assume it was a timing situation of sort of across the time of COVID, however I believe in all probability an important timing situation with why the reboot didn’t come to fruition was Disney+ had not launched but,” he defined. “And so internally, I believe Disney did not know precisely what they wished their streamer to be. And so I believe they began out with this concept at first that the issues that have been gonna be on Disney+ have been gonna be purely family-friendly. It was gonna be the animated, it was gonna be the , the classics. It was gonna be stuff that was like Disney by means of and thru, and so they have been having Lizzie McGuire inside that umbrella.”
“That is why they, , the thought of, like, shifting it to Hulu was not so standard, I believe inside the Disney, , inside facet that they wished it to be. ‘No, no, no, this can be a Disney-branded factor,'” he continued. “We would like this to suit into the Disney+ sort of form that we wish. And I believe now, clearly, that is modified a complete lot, , simply with the entire streaming sphere, and local weather, even simply inside the Disney umbrella now, when you go on Disney+, it is a very completely different panorama, in comparison with the way it was when it launched.”
If the Lizzie McGuire reboot have been to be in growth as we speak, Thomas mentioned he believes they’d have gone “with out a hitch.”
“In my view, I believe that, , say we by no means did these two episodes of the reboot, and as we speak we have been gonna do the reboot with the very same possibly sort of trajectory that a number of the individuals inside the artistic wished, I believe we in all probability would’ve had no situation., which is unlucky.”
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When TooFab requested Thomas if he thinks it might occur sooner or later, he defined, “I believe, , if the proper individuals as we speak determined that, , they wished to have one other crack at it, I believe it will in all probability go with out a hitch.”
“And I believe individuals would nonetheless be actually excited to see it simply because, I imply, look, we’re 5 years down the highway from that falling aside, and individuals are nonetheless speaking about it and being like, ‘For this reason I subscribed to Disney+!’ So I, , yeah, I believe it will nonetheless in all probability do nicely, however , time will inform if that’ll occur. Simply the proper individuals need to be on board.”
In the meantime, Thomas additionally mirrored on his time taking pictures the OG present, which is able to flip 25 in January.
“Does it really feel prefer it’s been 25 years or 1 / 4 of a century now? Sure and no,” he advised TooFab. “I’d say to a sure diploma it does really feel like a very long time in the past, as a result of typically I’ll see clips of the present and be like, Man, … I see that as now a very completely different particular person nearly. I vaguely bear in mind, , sure scenes and episodes and occasions from that. However I imply, that was like a lifetime in the past, which is loopy.”
“However on the similar time, too, , I really feel that the present and, , my character have had such a huge impact, I really feel like on, , simply millennial tradition as it’s,” he continued. “And it seems like I am by no means separated from that. It is at all times been part of my life, which I believe is a little bit of a blessing and a curse, however I believe these days I see it extra as a blessing simply due to, , I imply, for one factor, how everyone appears again on it as one thing that they love. So I completely, that is a blessing.”
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He additionally shared why he believes the present has maintained such a long-lasting legacy over 20 years later.
“I believe the factor that made Lizzie so particular that individuals nonetheless speak about it as we speak, I really feel prefer it’s a mix of a pair issues,” Thomas defined. “One, it is sort of from this time the place the web was nonetheless very new. Social media was not a factor. So in a means, it was sort of, I do not know, it sort of untouched by a social media sphere in a means. And it wasn’t as milked dry for all that social media content material. And it was only a present that you’d watch, , each weekday or every time it got here on.”
“And it was an thrilling a part of your day after faculty,” he added. “There wasn’t like a bunch of stuff you have been, , you did not come again dwelling and watch a bunch of YouTube movies or watch no matter was on streaming. … You have been there precisely at the moment, at that day to observe your episode of Lizzie McGuire. And I believe that is actually particular.”
He went on to spotlight the present’s messaging.
“I imply, every part in there … our plot traces, though we had actually humorous and foolish moments, we at all times appeared to have a reasonably clear message that we have been attempting to get throughout, whether or not it was about rising up, whether or not it was about household, about buddies, about robust conditions,” Thomas shared. “I really feel all of that was tremendous related, even to me rising up at the moment. All of these messages have been stuff that an viewers took with them by means of their lives and possibly held fairly expensive to their hearts. So I really feel like there’s a variety of various things, however a variety of issues that sort of made it particular, which is nice.”
Noting that Lizzie herself was tremendous relatable, Thomas mentioned, “She made errors, and you bought to see her make the errors, which was nice.”
The actor additionally shared the surprising revelation that he did NOT get to movie in Rome, Italy, together with a number of of his co-stars for 2003’s The Lizzie McGuire Movie … and nonetheless has but to go to town! Study why he did not get to go to Rome to shoot the movie within the full interview on the high of this put up.
