Hilary Duff Is Officially Coming Back as Lizzie McGuire in a New TV Series
Maybe we should have seen it coming, when, back in late June, Hilary Duff said her new haircut was inspired by her iconic Lizzie McGuire character on the eponymous Disney TV show. But we’re here for the news that broke on Friday, August 23: Duff is officially reprising her role in a new show for Disney+, the company’s streaming service set to launch later this year.
The rebooted Lizzie McGuire will center on her life as she turns 30 in New York City. She’s living in Brooklyn, working as an apprentice to an interior designer and has a boyfriend who’s a SoHo restauranteur—basically living her millennial dream life.
“The good news is, just like me and everybody who loved Lizzie and has grown up with her, Lizzie’s also grown up,” Duff said on stage during the announcement in Anaheim. “She’s older, she’s wiser, she has a much bigger shoe budget, which is super exciting. She has her dream job. She has kind of the perfect life right now.”
Although Duff teased a reboot back in December, this is the first development we’ve heard since. And although filming hasn’t started yet, rest assured that the series is under development.
“The conversations have gone on for a couple of years and the timing just didn’t seem right and now Lizzie is turning 30,” Duff told People on Friday. “For me, she was everybody’s best friend and she was there for us … entering your 30s is a really big deal.”
“I think it’s the right time to set back in and have her go along with you in your 30s and all the fun times, and all of the big monumental moments, and all of the challenges that you’re faced with,” she continued. “I just thought that there was an opportunity there for her to be grown up and for her to be there for women again.”
Duff posted the news to Instagram Friday night. “SURPRISE!!! I’ve been trying to contain this excitement for a loooong time while this has been in the works! I am beyond excited to be home again, back with my girl ♥️…and into her 30’s,” she wrote in the caption.
Needless to say, fans are stoked:
Duff also opened up to People how she really feels about returning to the character after all these years. “I’m not gonna lie: I’m a little intimidated,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Where is she in there?’ She is in there; she is me. When I was 13, it was such a big part of me… I just have to tap into that and be very authentic to that.”