Disney Pulls the Plug on Gender-Swapped Reboot of a Beloved Family Classic
Disney has reportedly pulled the plug on its gender-swapped TV reboot of Holes, shelving the early-2025 project despite the 2003 Andrew Davis hit’s strong reviews and box office, adapted from Louis Sachar’s novel.
Well, that was quick. Disney+ was kicking the tires on a gender-swapped Holes TV reboot, but the streamer has now pulled the plug before the pilot even saw daylight.
What got canceled
Per Deadline, Disney+ is no longer moving forward with the pilot for a Holes series that flipped the lead to a teenage girl. Alina Mankin wrote the episode, Jac Schaeffer directed it, and Liz Phang was steering the ship as showrunner. The cast was led by Shay Rudolph, with Greg Kinnear and Aidy Bryant also on board.
Variety previously reported the story would follow a teen named Hayley sent to a detention camp, where she runs smack into a cruel warden. The official logline was:
"In this reimagining of the beloved 1998 book from Louis Sachar, a teenage girl is sent to a detention camp where the ruthless Warden forces the campers to dig holes for a mysterious purpose."
For timeline folks: multiple outlets said early in 2025 that Disney+ had ordered the pilot. Now, just a bit later, it is formally dead at the streamer.
Why this was an interesting swing
Holes isn't some forgotten title. The 2003 movie, directed by Andrew Davis, landed mostly positive reviews and did well at the box office. Louis Sachar adapted the screenplay from his own 1998 novel, and the film still carries a 78% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It even picked up Best Family Film at the 2004 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards. So yeah, rebooting it with a new lead angle wasn't the worst idea in theory — but it's not happening now.
The original movie's lineup, for nostalgia's sake
- Sigourney Weaver as the warden (Louise Walker)
- Haleigh Ann Trickett as young Louise
- Jon Voight as Mr. Sir (Marion Sevillo)
- Tim Blake Nelson as Dr. Steve Pendanski
- Shia LaBeouf as Stanley 'Caveman' Yelnats IV
- Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Stanley's mom
- Khleo Thomas as Hector 'Zero' Zeroni
- Eartha Kitt as Madame Zeroni
- Henry Winkler as Stanley Yelnats III
Bottom line: Disney+ flirted with a new spin on a legit crowd-pleaser, lined up real talent, and then walked away. Maybe someone else starts digging later, but for now, this one's buried.