Disney turning classic Shia LaBeouf movie into new series with one big twist

Disney has officially given the green light to a new streaming series adaptation of Shia LeBeouf’s magnum opus; Holes. However, they’re making one major change from the source material.

Since its inception, Disney+ has been adding a steady stream of original content to supplement the media giant’s massive existing library. While many of these originals relate to big properties like Marvel, Star Wars, or their classic animated features, the company has been known to break that mold on occasion.

More recently, Disney has started digging deeper into its hoard of hidden gems for potential inspiration. The latest rabbit that the company has snatched out of the hat is a revival of the 2003 film Holes in the form of a brand-new streaming series.

Initially reported by Variety, Disney has ordered a pilot for this new Holes series based on the 1998 novel of the same name. While the book and movie are centered on the character of Stanley Yelnats, originally played by Shia LeBouf, this Disney+ adaptation will put a new spin on the tale.

New Holes series on Disney+ to feature a different protagonist

“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’s official logline reads.

It looks like in this new rendition of the novel and film, the character of Stanley Yelnats the Fourth will be replaced with a female protagonist.

It’s a stark departure from the original tale which takes place in Camp Greenlake, a character-building boot camp for wayward teenage boys. In this early stage of development, there’s no word on whether other key characters such as Hector Zeroni or Theodore ‘Armpit’ Johnson will also be replaced with female stand-ins, or whether the camp will be unisex.

This new Disney+ Original will be helmed by Executive Producer Drew Goddard who has been credited on major projects like Cloverfield and The Martian. He’s already exhibited huge faith in this new take on Holes and the crew working on it.

“They’ve done a wonderful job capturing Louis Sachar’s unique spirit,” Goddard told Variety. “To say much more about what they have in store would spoil all the fun.”