‘The Lizzie McGuire Movie’ Nearly Had a Sequel But Salary Negotiations Stopped It
Few Disney Channel shows in the early 2000s were more popular than Lizzie McGuire. The series debuted in 2001 and introduced the world to young actor Hilary Duff. Duff became a teen icon, and a merchandising empire was launched — and eventually, in 2003, a major motion picture based on the series hit theaters. The Lizzie McGuire Movie became one of the most popular movies of the year, and many fans clamored for a sequel. However, that long-awaited second film never came. Those in Duff’s inner circle once opened up about why the sequel film project was abandoned.
‘The Lizzie McGuire Movie’ was a fan-favorite
The Lizzie McGuire Movie was released in 2003. It continued the story told in the series, serving as a conclusion for the characters young viewers loved so much. The Lizzie McGuire Movie starred the same actors from the series, including Duff as Lizzie, Adam Lamberg as Gordo, Jake Thomas as Lizzie’s brother Matt, and Hallie Todd as Lizzie’s mother.
The film follows Lizzie as she prepares for her graduation from junior high school. During her graduation trip to Rome, Lizzie meets a handsome Italian pop star named Paolo, who mistakes Lizzie for his singing partner, Isabella. Lizzie is roped into a world of excitement and intrigue. But she has to fight hard to remain true to herself and her convictions.
As the finale to the Lizzie McGuire series, the film neatly wrapped up Lizzie’s story, offering viewers a way to say goodbye to the beloved character. Naturally, it wasn’t long before fans demanded a sequel.
What happened to end production on a second ‘Lizzie McGuire’ film?
At one point, Duff was open to starting work on a sequel to The Lizzie McGuire Movie. However, production didn’t get a chance to move forward, with Duff leaving the franchise behind to explore other opportunities. In June 2003, Duff’s mother, Susan Duff, told Entertainment Weekly that salary negotiations ended up stalling the sequel.
“Disney thought they’d be able to bully us into accepting whatever offer they wanted to make, and they couldn’t,” Duff said. “We walked away from a sequel. They walked away from a franchise.” Susan Duff, who oversaw her daughter’s career from the very beginning, had strong words for Disney. “We weren’t feeling the love. They weren’t giving Hilary the respect she deserved,” Duff said.
Entertainment Weekly reports Disney had promised to grant Duff a $500,000 bonus when The Lizzie McGuire Movie reached $50 million in box office take — on top of an overall offer of $4 million for the sequel, against 4 percent of the studio’s gross for the film. However, when Susan Duff requested the bonus be paid immediately, Disney withdrew the movie deal and effectively ended negotiations on a sequel film.
The ‘Lizzie McGuire’ Disney+ reboot was canceled
Hilary Duff went on to experience a lot of success in her career after Lizzie McGuire. She released albums and continued working as an actor. However, she never lost her love for the character of Lizzie. So when the opportunity arose to reprise her role in a Disney+ reboot, the actor jumped at it. In August 2019, Duff announced her plans to star in an all-new series for the streaming platform Disney+. Many past co-stars were set to join.
Sadly, fans faced disappointment when, in 2020, the reboot was officially canceled. Original showrunner Terri Minsky was fired after filming just two episodes. Minsky and the producers at Disney were unable to agree on the overall direction that the series should take. Duff took to social media to give a statement after the series was canceled.
“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,” she wrote on Instagram. “I want any reboot of Lizzie to be honest and authentic to who Lizzie would be today.” Fortunately, fans still have the original series and The Lizzie McGuire Movie to rewatch over and over again.
