Saw this over at Jim Hill.
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Guess which tween star the Walt Disney Company supposedly recently offered a very nice chunk of change, with the hope that she'd then agree to pull on a pair of ruby-red slippers and play Dorothy in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz"? Would you believe Miss Lizzie McGuire herself, Hillary Duff?
Yes, this is the same performer who -- back in May of 2003 -- angrily stormed away from the Mouse House. Reportedly because Hillary's mother (who also acts as Duff's manager) wasn't "feeling the love" from Disney company executives. At the time, mother & daughter Duff were allegedly asking Mickey for a whole lot more moola if Hillary were to continue working for the Mouse.
Back then, Disney supposedly had big plans for Ms. Duff. These included a new "Lizzie McGuire " TV series (which would have taken the lovable tween from junior high to high school) which was then to have aired on ABC as part of that network's "TGIF" line-up. The company also allegedly wanted to make several sequels to Hillary's highly successful movie debut, "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" (Which wound up grossing $42 million during its domestic run last year).
According to published reports, Disney reportedly offered Duff $35,000 per episode to appear in a new "Lizzie McGuire" TV series. There was also talk of a $500,000 bonus if the tween star would sign to do two sequels to "The Lizzie McGuire Movie." But mother & daughter Duff wanted more. LOTS more. Which is why they noisily walked away from the Mouse House in May of 2003 and began to negotiate with other studios.
Still, it didn't make sense -- career-wise -- for Hillary to totally cut her ties to the Mouse House. Which is why -- back in June of last year -- Ms. Duff signed a three record deal with Disney's Buena Vista Music Group. This turned out to be a pretty shrewd move on on both Hillary & Disney's part. For Ms. Duff's first album -- "Metamorphosis" -- eventually became the 8th biggest selling LP for 2003. This recording sold over 2.4 million copies in the US alone.
Since then, the Mouse has been desperate to kiss & make up with the mother / daughter team. With the hope with the Duffs will eventually return to the Disney fold and make lots more money for the Mouse in the years to come. This is why the "Muppets' Wizard of Oz" script supposedly got dropped in Hillary's lap earlier this month.
Yes, I know. As recently as last Monday, I was telling you guys that Natalie Portman & Anne Hathaway were supposedly the front runners for Dorothy in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz." But -- according to Mouse House insiders who reached out to me last week -- this is no longer the case.
Mickey's new plan is supposedly to use this project to lure Duff -- who's said to be a huge Muppet fan -- back into the Disney fold. The current hope is that Hillary will jump at the chance to work with Kermit & Co. And that -- sometime over the six weeks that "Wizard of Oz" will be in production this fall -- Disney will finally be able to mend fences with mother & daughter. Which will then clear the way for that new "Lizzie McGuire" TV series for ABC (which could really use a hit right about now) as well as those sequels to the "Lizzie McGuire" movie.
Mind you, nothing's been signed yet. But those in the know consider it very significant that Ms. Duff has chosen to wrap her latest concert tour on September 12th. Just a day before before shooting on "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" was supposed to begin.
Okay, I know. That evidence -- all by itself -- seems somewhat slim. But what if I were to remind you that "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" is being shot up in Northern Vancouver. And that -- on September 11th -- Hillary will actually be performing at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum. Followed by a one day jaunt over to Alberta to play at Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome.
So -- given that she's going to be across the border already anyway -- is it really such a stretch of the imagination to think that Hillary Duff would then take advantage of this opportunity to head over the rainbow?
L. Frank Baum fans that I've spoken with about this proposed casting actually seem cautiously optimistic. Why for? Because -- should Hillary Duff sign to play Dorothy in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" -- this will be the first time in Hollywood history that Baum's heroine is portrayed just as L. Frank originally envisioned her ... as a blonde!
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Guess which tween star the Walt Disney Company supposedly recently offered a very nice chunk of change, with the hope that she'd then agree to pull on a pair of ruby-red slippers and play Dorothy in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz"? Would you believe Miss Lizzie McGuire herself, Hillary Duff?
Yes, this is the same performer who -- back in May of 2003 -- angrily stormed away from the Mouse House. Reportedly because Hillary's mother (who also acts as Duff's manager) wasn't "feeling the love" from Disney company executives. At the time, mother & daughter Duff were allegedly asking Mickey for a whole lot more moola if Hillary were to continue working for the Mouse.
Back then, Disney supposedly had big plans for Ms. Duff. These included a new "Lizzie McGuire " TV series (which would have taken the lovable tween from junior high to high school) which was then to have aired on ABC as part of that network's "TGIF" line-up. The company also allegedly wanted to make several sequels to Hillary's highly successful movie debut, "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" (Which wound up grossing $42 million during its domestic run last year).
According to published reports, Disney reportedly offered Duff $35,000 per episode to appear in a new "Lizzie McGuire" TV series. There was also talk of a $500,000 bonus if the tween star would sign to do two sequels to "The Lizzie McGuire Movie." But mother & daughter Duff wanted more. LOTS more. Which is why they noisily walked away from the Mouse House in May of 2003 and began to negotiate with other studios.
Still, it didn't make sense -- career-wise -- for Hillary to totally cut her ties to the Mouse House. Which is why -- back in June of last year -- Ms. Duff signed a three record deal with Disney's Buena Vista Music Group. This turned out to be a pretty shrewd move on on both Hillary & Disney's part. For Ms. Duff's first album -- "Metamorphosis" -- eventually became the 8th biggest selling LP for 2003. This recording sold over 2.4 million copies in the US alone.
Since then, the Mouse has been desperate to kiss & make up with the mother / daughter team. With the hope with the Duffs will eventually return to the Disney fold and make lots more money for the Mouse in the years to come. This is why the "Muppets' Wizard of Oz" script supposedly got dropped in Hillary's lap earlier this month.
Yes, I know. As recently as last Monday, I was telling you guys that Natalie Portman & Anne Hathaway were supposedly the front runners for Dorothy in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz." But -- according to Mouse House insiders who reached out to me last week -- this is no longer the case.
Mickey's new plan is supposedly to use this project to lure Duff -- who's said to be a huge Muppet fan -- back into the Disney fold. The current hope is that Hillary will jump at the chance to work with Kermit & Co. And that -- sometime over the six weeks that "Wizard of Oz" will be in production this fall -- Disney will finally be able to mend fences with mother & daughter. Which will then clear the way for that new "Lizzie McGuire" TV series for ABC (which could really use a hit right about now) as well as those sequels to the "Lizzie McGuire" movie.
Mind you, nothing's been signed yet. But those in the know consider it very significant that Ms. Duff has chosen to wrap her latest concert tour on September 12th. Just a day before before shooting on "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" was supposed to begin.
Okay, I know. That evidence -- all by itself -- seems somewhat slim. But what if I were to remind you that "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" is being shot up in Northern Vancouver. And that -- on September 11th -- Hillary will actually be performing at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum. Followed by a one day jaunt over to Alberta to play at Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome.
So -- given that she's going to be across the border already anyway -- is it really such a stretch of the imagination to think that Hillary Duff would then take advantage of this opportunity to head over the rainbow?
L. Frank Baum fans that I've spoken with about this proposed casting actually seem cautiously optimistic. Why for? Because -- should Hillary Duff sign to play Dorothy in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" -- this will be the first time in Hollywood history that Baum's heroine is portrayed just as L. Frank originally envisioned her ... as a blonde!
