Disney Reveals Gender-Swapped Take on Beloved 2000s Film
January 8, 2025
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“You take a bad boy, make him dig holes all day in the hot sun, it turns him into a good boy.” That’s the philosophy of Camp Green Lake — or at least, it was.
As reported by Variety on Tuesday, January 7, Disney+ is giving the iconic Holes a modern twist, swapping its unlucky hero Stanley Yelnats for a teenage girl in a fresh reimagining of Louis Sachar’s beloved book.
Actor Shia LaBeouf attends the New York premiere of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” at the AMC Magic Johnson Theatre in Harlem May 20, 2008 in New York City. Fast forward… Actor Shia LaBeouf attends the New York premiere of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” at the AMC Magic Johnson Theatre in Harlem May 20, 2008 in New York City. Fast forward to January 2025, LaBeouf’s breakout film, ‘Holes’, in which he starred as protagonist Stanley Yelnats, is being resurrected as a TV series on Disney+.
Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
The new series, currently in the pilot stage, reimagines the 1998 novel and its 2003 film adaptation with a gender-swapped lead. This time, the story centers on a girl sent to a detention camp where a no-nonsense Warden forces the campers to dig holes for mysterious reasons.
The creative team is stacked. Alina Mankin (The Mindy Project) will write and executive produce, with Liz Phang (Yellowjackets) taking over as showrunner. Original producer Walden Media is back on board, along with Drew Goddard (The Martian) and Sarah Esberg (Moonlight).
“They’ve done a wonderful job capturing Louis Sachar’s unique spirit,” Goddard, 49, told the outlet. “To say much more about what they have in store would spoil all the fun.”
The original Holes starred Shia LaBeouf as Stanley, a teen sent to Camp Green Lake for a crime he didn’t commit. The quirky mix of family curses, buried treasure, and desert drama made the movie a hit, grossing $71 million worldwide. The cast included Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, and Patricia Arquette, who helped bring Sachar’s world to life.
LaBeouf, 38, has kept in touch with many of his former co-stars over the years. Reflecting on the film in 2019, he told MTV News, “I’m still friends with these people… I still see all these people.” One of those friendships includes Byron Cotton, who played Armpit, and still joins the Daytime Emmy Award winner at his Slauson Rec. theater group in Los Angeles.
According to executive producer Mike Medavoy, who’s returning for the reboot, the 2003 film almost didn’t get the backing it needed.
“I don’t think [Disney] knew what to do with the film at the time,” the 83-year-old Orion Pictures founder told Collider in 2023. “Disney was so nervous about the foreign markets — they were afraid of sending it to the foreign markets.” Ultimately, Holes proved its doubters wrong, becoming a fan favorite and a box office success.
At this time, no cast or release date for the reboot has been announced.
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