Credit: Inside the MagicThe streaming landscape has become increasingly brutal for new projects attempting to move from development into full production, with even established intellectual properties facing unexpected cancellations despite initial enthusiasm and significant investment. What once seemed like a guaranteed path from pilot order to series commitment has evolved into a far more uncertain journey, with streaming platforms conducting ruthless evaluations of potential shows and making swift decisions to pull the plug on projects that fail to meet internal expectations or strategic priorities.
This environment has created a situation where creative teams invest months or even years developing concepts, assembling casts, and producing pilot episodes, only to see their work shelved before reaching audiences.
For properties with existing fan bases and proven commercial success, these cancellations feel particularly surprising. When a streaming service commits resources to adapting beloved books or reimagining successful films, the assumption is that brand recognition and established audience affection will provide some protection against the axe.
However, recent trends suggest that legacy IP alone is no longer sufficient to guarantee a project’s survival through the development process. Streaming platforms are increasingly willing to abandon even high-profile adaptations if early results fail to align with their evolving content strategies or if creative directions don’t resonate with test audiences and internal stakeholders.
Disney+ is experiencing this reality firsthand as it navigates an increasingly competitive streaming market while managing a vast portfolio of intellectual property spanning decades of film and television. The platform’s recent decision to cancel a highly anticipated adaptation demonstrates that even Disney’s own catalog is subject to the same harsh evaluation process affecting the broader industry.
When a property that generated both critical acclaim and commercial success in its original form fails to advance beyond the pilot stage, it raises questions about what criteria streaming services are using to greenlight full series orders and whether the traditional markers of adaptation potential still hold value in the current environment.
Holes TV Series Not Moving Forward
Disney+ has officially decided not to move forward with its television adaptation of Louis Sachar’s novel Holes after ordering a pilot at the beginning of this year per Variety. The decision means that despite assembling a cast, attaching creative talent, and producing a pilot episode, the project will not receive a series order and audiences will never see the reimagined version of the story that was in development.
Sachar’s novel was published in 1998 and earned both a National Book Award and a Newbery Medal, establishing itself as a modern classic of young adult literature. Disney adapted the book into a 2003 film directed by Andrew Davis that starred Shia LaBeouf as Stanley Yelnats, a teenager wrongfully sent to a juvenile detention camp called Camp Green Lake.
The film followed Stanley as he was forced to dig holes in the desert every day, eventually discovering a shocking connection between the land and his family history.
The original film featured an impressive ensemble cast including Sigourney Weaver, Khleo Thomas, Jon Voight, Tim Blake Nelson, Patricia Arquette, Dulé Hill, and Eartha Kitt. Both the book and the movie achieved critical and commercial success, making the property seem like a natural candidate for adaptation into a longer-form television series that could explore the story’s themes and character relationships in greater depth than a two-hour film allows.
The Gender-Bent Approach
The new Disney+ pilot took a different approach to the source material by gender-swapping the main character. Instead of following a teenage boy named Stanley at a detention camp, the series would have centered on a teenage girl named Hayley navigating similar circumstances. Shay Rudolph was cast in the lead role, with the setting changed from Camp Green Lake to Camp Yucca.
Greg Kinnear was attached to play the warden, a significant role in both the original book and film. The cast also included Aidy Bryant as camp counselor Sissy and Noah Cottrell as kitchen employee Kitch. Hayley’s fellow campers at Camp Yucca would have been played by Flor Delis Alicea, Anire Kim Amoda, Iesha Daniels, Sophie Dieterlen, Alexandra Doke, and Maeve Press.
Behind the camera, the pilot had assembled experienced creative talent. Alina Mankin was attached as writer with Liz Phang serving as showrunner and Jac Schaeffer directing. Executive producers included Mankin, Phang, Drew Goddard via Goddard Textiles, Sarah Esberg, and Mike Medavoy via Shamrock, which holds the rights to the property. Andrea Massaro from Goddard Textiles was attached as co-executive producer.
The pilot was produced by Walden Media, the same company that produced the 2003 film, with 20th Television serving as the studio. This production lineage suggested continuity with the original adaptation while allowing for fresh creative approaches to the material.
Part of a Broader Cancellation Pattern
The Holes cancellation arrives as Disney+ and other streaming platforms are becoming increasingly selective about which pilots advance to series orders. The decision reflects broader industry trends where even projects with strong pedigree, established IP, and experienced creative teams face uncertain futures beyond the pilot stage.
Disney has made several high-profile cancellation decisions recently across its various brands and platforms. The company’s approach to Star Wars content has been particularly notable, with multiple announced projects either stalling in development or being officially shelved despite initial excitement and public commitments.
Most recently, Rian Johnson’s planned Star Wars trilogy has been confirmed as no longer in active development. Johnson, who directed The Last Jedi in 2017, had been signed to develop a fresh trilogy for the franchise. However, in recent interviews, Johnson acknowledged the project is effectively dead, though he hasn’t completely closed the door on returning to Star Wars in the future.
Johnson told The Hollywood Reporter that while the trilogy plan is no longer active, a part of his brain will always be in Star Wars. In a subsequent interview with Radio Andy, he confirmed the project is not actively in development but said he’d be thrilled to return to that universe if it makes sense down the line.
Additionally, Disney cancelled a Kylo Ren project called The Hunt for Ben Solo, which would have followed the events of The Rise of Skywalker. Since news of its cancellation became public, fans have rallied behind the project hoping Disney and Lucasfilm will reconsider and greenlight it again.
What This Means for Adaptations
The cancellation of the Holes pilot despite its strong source material, experienced creative team, and connection to a successful film adaptation signals that Disney+ is taking a highly selective approach to series commitments. The platform is clearly evaluating projects based on factors beyond brand recognition or previous commercial success.
For creators developing adaptations of existing properties, the message is sobering. Even when a project checks multiple boxes including beloved source material, proven commercial appeal, experienced talent, and major studio backing, advancement from pilot to series is far from guaranteed. Streaming platforms are conducting rigorous evaluations that can result in cancellation regardless of a project’s pedigree or development investment.
The gender-swapped approach in the Holes pilot may have been an attempt to differentiate the series from the 2003 film and offer a fresh perspective on familiar material. However, whatever creative directions the pilot explored apparently didn’t convince Disney+ executives that the show warranted a full series order.
For fans of the original book and film, the cancellation means there will be no expanded television exploration of Camp Green Lake’s mysteries and Stanley Yelnats’ family history. The pilot that was produced will likely never be seen publicly, leaving audiences to wonder what approach the creative team took and how the gender-swapped premise would have played out across a full season.