As Hilary, as Lizzie, as Isabella…it doesn’t matter who.
The Earth is on fire. Society has never been more polarized, as corrupt, self-serving political leaders drag us down a disgraceful path to irreversible ruin at breakneck speed. And Lizzie McGuire is officially getting a reboot on Disney+.
Life is a mixed bag, you know?
On Friday evening (August 23), news broke at Disney Plus’s D23 Expo event that Hilary Erhard Duff will reprise her role as the titular Lizzie McGuire in a reboot of the original 2001-2004 Disney Channel series, Lizzie McGuire.
But this time, she’s older and wiser.
“Lizzie has also grown up, she’s older, she’s wiser,” Hilary declared at the event.
“She has a much bigger shoe budget. She has her dream job, the perfect life right now working as an apprentice to a fancy New York City decorator,” adding that she also has “the perfect man, who owns a fancy restaurant. She’s getting ready to celebrate her 30th birthday.”
It sounds like Younger basically, although I haven’t actually seen Younger. Or maybe a sexless Sex & The City. I’m just assuming.
Regardless! What this news actually means for us – aside from, yes, a brand new series to look forward to – is that Hilary will be thrust back into the spotlight with a role that not only provided us with The Lizzie McGuire Movie‘s signature song “What Dreams Are Made Of,” but also served as the vehicle for her career as a Princess of Pop, beginning with 2002’s chart-bottoming Santa Claus Lane all the way up to 2015’s still better-than-you-remember Breathe In. Breathe Out., which possibly-maybe inspires Taylor Swift to this day. And, let us never forget, 2007’s Dignity – otherwise known as baby Blackout.
As any Little Duffster would know, Hilary basically all but abandoned us after the short-lived success of Breathe In. Breathe Out. to pursue her acting dreams further with her successful TV Land series, as well as a brief, horrifying lapse in taste and judgment. She also got engaged…to her Breathe In. Breathe Out. collaborator Matthew Koma, which I can only assume was done specifically to taunt us.
Hilary Duff teases if new #LizzieMcGuire will sing and who's returning to the show pic.twitter.com/ywkInrqDLc
— Variety (@Variety) August 24, 2019
Naturally, Hilary was hounded with questions about new music following the announcement. And, in typical Duff fashion, she swerved…hard. She didn’t say yes. But she also didn’t say no.
“I don’t know. We haven’t gone that far yet, but nothing’s off the table…it could happen. Isabella could pop her wig on and come back into her life, I don’t know,” she gingerly tip-toed around the question with a smile.
It’s hard to choose optimism in these trying times. But maybe, just maybe, this is the moment: maybe the nostalgia of being back at home at the Disney studios, and the wig department, and the good will and excitable fanfare surrounding this announcement, will reignite the sparks (REFERENCE) and remind her that it is her calling – nay, her destiny – to be a Main Pop Girl and Make Pop Great Again.
At least one soundtrack contribution? The theme song? Something?! Why not…take a crazy chance?
Hey now, hey now: this, if I remember correctly, is what dreams are made of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVFe9GVwQPE
Photo credit: RCA Records
