After a high-profile removal by Disney+, the cancelled Spiderwick Chronicles has found a new streaming home. It was confirmed back in August that Disney+ would not be moving forward with a live-action The Spiderwick Chronicles, which is based on the bestselling books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. The eight-episode series, a co-production between Paramount Television Studios and 20th Studios, had already been completed and Disney+, which handed down the same fate to Nautilus, a live-action series about the Jules Verne character Captain Nemo, made the moves as part of its continued focus on content write-offs and cutting programming costs.
Now, after confirmation that Paramount intended to shop the series to other buyers, Deadline confirms that The Spiderwick Chronicles has found a new home. Roku has landed the exclusive U.S. rights to the live-action adaptation, with plans to premiere it in early 2024. The move cements what’s described as Roku’s most ambitious show, given the scope of Spiderwick‘s story.
What To Know About Spiderwick Chronicles
The Spiderwick Chronicles is described as a contemporary American gothic coming-of-age story. After leaving New York for Michigan and their run-down ancestral home, The Spiderwick Estate, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace and their sister Helen get caught up in a hidden, fantastical world. Aron Eli Coleite serves as the showrunner for the adaptation.
The Spiderwick Chronicles includes the voice of Shazam! and It actor Jack Dylan Grazer, in addition to Christian Slater as the villain. The ensemble also includes Joy Bryant as Helen Grace, Noah Cottrell as Simon Grace, Lyon Daniels as Jared Grace, Mychala Lee as Mallory Grace, Jack Dylan Grazer as the voice of Thimbletack, and Slater as Mulgarath.
The decision to remove The Spiderwick Chronicles comes as Disney+, and its associated divisions, decide they will focus more on Disney’s own properties moving forward. The upcoming Percy Jackson series is a prime example, as the books are published by Disney Hyperion in the US. Exceptions will still be made, however, such as for the upcoming Goosebumps adaptation from Sony TV, and the high-profile new Doctor Who episodes from the BBC. In this changing environment, it’s good that one show found a new home.
