Disney+ has officially canceled its planned gender-swapped television adaptation of Holes, the beloved story based on Louis Sachar’s 1998 novel and the 2003 Disney film.
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After ordering and producing a pilot earlier this year, the streamer announced it will not move forward with the series, disappointing fans and industry watchers alike.
In the original novel and movie, young Stanley Yelnats is wrongfully sent to a juvenile detention camp where boys are forced to dig holes as part of a mysterious punishment.
Disney, however, designed the new series to offer a fresh take on the original story. The movie would focused on a female lead named Hayley, and the setting changed from Camp Green Lake to Camp Yucca. This new Holes product would also be a series as opposed to a movie.
Reimagined ‘Holes’ Series Scrapped After High Expectations
The pilot episode assembled a notable cast, including Shay Rudolph in the lead role of Hayley, with Greg Kinnear cast as the camp’s Warden and Aidy Bryant playing a camp counselor.
Development of the project reached an advanced stage this year. Disney+ commissioned a writers’ room and allocated production incentives such as tax credits, indicating genuine interest within the company to bring this bold reimagining to its streaming platform.
However, Disney executives chose to shelve the show before they could give it a full series order. Disney has not yet released any official statement. But sources reported that despite high expectations in Disney Branded Entertainment, the network concluded the project did not meet the bar required for a broader rollout.
The cancellation highlights the challenges faced by studios in rebooting well-known intellectual property, especially when making significant changes to character dynamics or story structure.
For fans of Holes, the original novel and the 2003 movie remain widely available and continue to attract new audiences. While the gender-swapped adaptation will not proceed, discussions around creative reinterpretations of classic stories persist in entertainment circles.
It is unknown is Disney will revisit Holes, or if they really are leaving this one in the ditch.