Ethan Craft was originally considered the middle school bully, but was later changed to a teen heartthrob.
After the show ended, there was going to be a spin-off show called "Stevie Sanchez". It was to follow Lizzie's friend, Miranda, and her family as they move to Australia to work at a zoo, and the main character would be her little sister named Stevie. During the early development stages of the show, Selena Gomez was cast as Stevie and even did some screen tests (which you can see online). Despite the fact a pilot was shot, unfortunately, the show never saw the light of day.
On August 24, 2019 Disney announced there that Hilary Duff would return as Lizzie McGuire for a reboot on Disney+. The show would have been about Lizzie in her 30's. However, Duff announced on December 16, 2020 that the revival was officially cancelled. Disputes between the showrunners and Disney+ reportedly played a part in the cancellation.
There is a rumor that Hilary Duff almost quit one week before auditions.