Say what you will about genderbent adaptations, but Disney seemed to think this one held some real potential—for a little while at least. With everything from a tried-and-true director from the MCU to a cast with names like Greg Kinnear and Aidy Bryant, it’s interesting that this potentially nostalgia-infused series got the ax before the already-filmed pilot ever saw the light of day, especially in the age of Disney seemingly being more interested in capitalizing on old films than making entirely new ones.
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Now, it appears that Disney+ has decided not to move forward with the pilot they filmed for the new adaptation of Holes, a genderbent reimagining of the novel by Louis Sachar, which won a National Book Award and a Newbery Medal, and the 2003 Disney movie of the same name. This new version would have starred Shay Rudolph in the role made famous by Shia LaBeouf and was set to follow Hayley (Rudolph), a teenage girl sent to a detention camp where the warden (Kinnear) forces the campers to dig holes for a mysterious purpose, and was produced by Walden Media, the studio that produced the original film. Sounds just like the movie we all came to know and love—sort of.
It Probably Wouldn’t Have Stuck Its Landing With Audiences
The original Holes centers around Stanley Yelnats, played by Shia LaBeouf, a teenager wrongfully accused of stealing a pair of sneakers. Sentenced to hard labor at Camp Green Lake (aptly named for a desert hellscape filled with lizards that want to kill you), he’s forced to dig holes day in and day out beside the other inmates by the sadistic warden (Sigourney Weaver). As the hot, miserable days stretch on, Stanley and his fellow inmates, having formed their own friendships, eventually piece together the true story of Camp Green Lake, discovering exactly what it is that they’re digging for.
Fans of the original film aren’t too surprised that the show never made it past the pilot stage, though. One user on Reddit said, “If anything, swapping the genders makes it more problematic. Would the warden be the only man at a camp for troubled teenage girls in the middle of nowhere? That’s a lot weirder than the original and not in a good way.” Another followed up with, “Or kissin Kurt Barlow robbing, kissing, and killing women.”
They have a point. And there is plenty of young adult IP out there, some of which Disney has surely already gotten their hands on. Holes achieved cult-classic status for a reason, but now is also the perfect time to introduce audiences to something new that they haven’t seen before (live-action Maximum Ride that doesn’t suck, anyone?).
Were you excited for the new Holes adaptation? Let us know why or why not in the comments. And then head over to the ComicBook forums to see what other fans are saying.
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