Oh snap! A Shia LaBeouf flick adapted from an insanely good book is about to become a Disney Plus series

It looks as though beloved literary character Stanley Yelnats will finally make his television debut, following news that Disney Plus has greenlit a TV adaptation of the 1998 novel, Holes. 

Before you start excitedly grabbing your shovels, it’s been reported that at this stage, the potential show has only been ordered to pilot, which is nonetheless still welcome news for fans of the beloved children’s book. According to Variety, the Holes series is based on the original novel with the pilot episode penned by The Mindy Project writer Alina Mankin. She is on board for the project alongside producers Liz Phang and Drew Goddard, whose credits include Yellowjackets and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, respectively. 

For those not across the lore of Camp Green Lake (perhaps you read Diary of a Wimpy Kid instead), Holes was written by author Louis Sachar, and was first adapted for the big screen by Disney for the 2003 movie of the same name. It starred a young Shia LaBeouf in his breakout role, as well as Hollywood legends like Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, and Patricia Arquette. However, if you’re looking for a replica of that in the TV adaptation, the official logline reveals at least one key change.

“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 logline reads. With that gender-swap reveal, it seems Stanley will be replaced on digging duties by a young girl in the TV series, but Goddard assured fans that the show will maintain the integrity of the source material. “The team has done a wonderful job capturing Louis Sachar’s unique spirit,” Goddard said (per Variety). 

“To say much more about what they have in store would spoil all the fun.” Any lingering concerns among fans about the series’ gender swap might be quelled by the involvement of Mike Medavoy, who produced the original film and is on board again for the upcoming adaptation. At the time of writing, there has been no word on who will feature in the cast of the Holes series, with an official release date also yet to be announced — so let’s leave our shovels in the shed until further notice, shall we?

News of the Holes adaptation adds to a slew of other child-friendly titles also receiving the reboot treatment. In October, we learned that Paramount is developing a live-action movie remake of beloved Nickelodeon series Rugrats, marking the toddler foursome’s first foray into CGI and live-action hybrid territory. Elsewhere, we also know that despite the recent death of Donkey’s real-life inspiration, we’re still getting a fifth installment in the Shrek franchise, scheduled for release in 2026. It’s almost enough to fulfill all my childhood fantasies (well, minus Perry the donkey’s tragic passing). 

The Holes series is also far from the only Disney reboot project in the works. Coming in hot is the live-action remake of Snow White starring Rachel Zegler, but that’s just one of many titles set to be pumped out by a studio that some (me) say is suffering from reboot fatigue. We’re also getting a Lilo & Stitch film (probably the only one I can get behind), on top of the enduring rumors about a movie retelling of both Prince Charming and Tangled, which have been bubbling for about as long as Rapunzel’s hair. In the meantime, however, I’m going to return to my re-read of Holes, which has been dog-eared on chapter three since high school.