"Lizzie McGuire" Showrunner Exits Disney+ Sequel Series

[JamesG]

"Lizzie McGuire" Showrunner Exits Disney+ Sequel Series
by Denise Petski
January 9, 2020


"Lizzie McGuire" creator Terri Minsky is stepping down as showrunner for Disney+’s sequel series, Deadline has confirmed.

“Fans have a sentimental attachment to ‘Lizzie McGuire’ and high expectations for a new series. After filming two episodes, we concluded that we need to move in a different creative direction and are putting a new lens on the show,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline.

Minsky’s overall deal with Disney Channel will continue, sources say, and more projects are planned under that pact.

https://deadline.com/2020/01/lizzie-...ff-1202826428/

[TMC]

http://www.agcwebpages.com/BLINDITEMS/2020/JAN.html

120. ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER 01/10 **6**
This showrunner (Terri Minsky) wanted to make the reboot of this classic show ("Lizzie McGuire") more ensemble like. That A- list actress (Hilary Duff) who got her start on the show wanted no part of that and wants it focused on her. She already does an ensemble show ("Younger"). So, she does what she does best and had the showrunner fired just like she had the actress (Lalaine played "Miranda") back in the day fired for taking too much attention away from the star. (Hilary Duff's Lizzie McGuire revival put on hold as original creator Terri Minsky exits the Disney Plus show) (Why hasn't Lalaine's Miranda been announced for the Lizzie McGuire revival?)

[TMC]

Lizzie McGuire Disney+ Sequel Contained Sex and Cheating Plot Points in the First Episode

Meanwhile, production on the service’s high-profile Lizzie McGuire revival halted in early January after the departure of creator and showrunner Terri Minsky over creative differences with Disney. Star Hilary Duff then pleaded with Disney on Instagram to “let us move the show to Hulu” so it could explore more mature storylines.

The Love, Simon and Lizzie McGuire reboots, meanwhile, were already in production when questions arose over the adult nature of the scripts. The pilot script for Love, Simon, which THR has read, explores the lead character’s struggle with coming out as gay, as well as issues like marital tension and teen fighting. At the time of the move, sources noted that those themes, as well as topics like alcohol use, were a concern for Disney+ execs, who worried about families watching with young kids.

Meanwhile, the first episode of the Lizzie McGuire revival, the script for which THR has also read, acknowledges the existence of sex with cheating as a central plot point. Duff, in her recent Instagram post, said she was worried about “limiting the realities of a 30 year old’s [sic] journey to live under the ceiling of a PG rating” on Disney+ and made a plea for the show to be join High Fidelity and Love, Simon at Hulu. Disney+ hasn’t responded publicly to the request, but a spokeswoman said in late February statement, “Our goal is to resume production and to tell an authentic story that connects to the millions who are emotionally invested in the character, and a new generation of viewers too.”