Canceled Disney Reboot Has Fans All Saying the Same Thing

Disney has reportedly scrapped its planned Holes TV series, and the internet reaction has been almost shockingly unanimous: nobody wanted this one. The quick read on it is simple — the 2003 movie still hits, the book is a classic, and remaking it (with a gender-swapped lead) never had a compelling why now.

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) were pretty blunt about it, repeatedly circling one idea: the original film already nailed the book.

'A remake is unnecessary.'

So, what exactly was Disney making?

• Project: A TV adaptation of Louis Sachar's Holes, this time with a gender-swapped lead.
• Status: Disney ordered a pilot earlier this year, then opted not to move forward.
• Team: Script by Alina Mankin, pilot set to be directed by Jac Schaeffer.
• Cast: Shay Rudolph in the lead, with Greg Kinnear and Aidy Bryant attached.
• Source pedigree: Sachar's novel is a staple in classrooms and won both the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the John Newbery Medal.
• Context: Disney already adapted the novel once — the 2003 film — which is widely considered a faithful, enduring version.

Why the backlash stuck

The pushback was not about the cast or the creatives; it was about the premise. Fans kept calling the original film a near-perfect translation of the book — the word faithful came up a lot — and you could feel the 'please stop remaking everything' fatigue. A bunch of replies boiled down to: if the old one still works, spend the money on something new.

And honestly, I get it. If you are going to revisit Holes, you need a sharper angle than just flipping the lead and rebreaking a story that already threads the book's timelines and themes cleanly. Otherwise you are just digging in the desert to dig in the desert.