Nearly a year ago in early January 2025, Disney+ announced its decision to reboot the beloved movie Holes, which debuted five years after the iconic and award-winning book from author Louis Sachar.
“My mom’s been a schoolteacher for her whole life and, as such, she’s served as a de facto book scout for Goddard Textiles,” executive producer Drew Goddard said in an interview with Variety at the time. “She always knows what ‘the kids’ are into long before everyone else does. ‘Holes’ was the first book she suggested to me – this was back in the late ‘90s – and she was positive it was going to be a phenomenon. It feels good to bring it full circle for Mrs. Goddard and her sixth grade class.”
The Original ‘Holes’ Was an Instant Classic
The 2003 film version of “Holes” starred Shia LaBeouf as Stanley, with Sigourney Weaver, Khleo Thomas, Jon Voight, Tim Blake Nelson, Patricia Arquette and more starring. Sachar wrote the screenplay with Andrew Davis directing and the film was a box office success, grossing an estimated $71 million worldwide against a reported budget of $20 million.
“Holes” was originally published in 1998 and went on to win both the National Book Award and Newbery Medal.
The book centers on the story of Stanley Yelnats, whose family suffers from terrible luck and gets sent to a juvenile detention camp for a crime he didn’t commit. Once at Camp Green Lake, the unlucky boy must start digging holes in a dry lake bed for a mysterious reason.
Disney+ Changes Mind on Reboot, Cancels Pilot
Disney+ initially planned for a reboot of the beloved movie to feature a gender-swapped TV series of the show. The official tagline for the project stated, “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.”
The show, featuring Shay Rudolph (The Baby-Sitters Club) and starring Greg Kinnear and Aidy Bryant, saw its plug pulled on Friday, Dec. 12, according to Deadline.
Related: Netflix ‘Quietly’ Cancels New Show 3 Months After Debut
