In case you missed the most exciting and nostalgic news out of Disney late last year, Malcolm in the Middle will soon be coming back to our screens for a four-episode revival series on Disney+. The only way us '90s kids would be more excited was if Disney+ walked back on its infuriating decision to abandon the Lizzie McGuire revival series. But I digress.
We're getting closer to the Malcolm in the Middle revival series going into production, and that means we're finally learning updates on which cast members will be returning, who will be joining the cast, and who we won't be catching up with. Disney+ confirmed that Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, and Jane Kaczmarek would be back as Malcolm, Hal, and Lois respectively, but we also now know that Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield will reprise their roles as Francis and Reese.
That just leaves one last original cast member from the initial iteration of the sitcom's family dynamic missing, and that's of course the one-time youngest member of the family Dewey. Unfortunately, if you were hoping to see the whole family back together, you will be disappointed to learn that Erik Per Sullivan won't be back for the revival. Instead, Dewey has been recast.
Malcolm in the Middle revival recasts Dewey
Because Erik Per Sullivan retired from acting in 2010 and hasn't appeared in the spotlight since, the Malcolm in the Middle revival series went ahead and recast the pivotal role of Dewey with Caleb Ellsworth-Clark. The actor, who bears a striking resemblance to Per Sullivan, has been seen in such titles as The Silencing, Spiral, The Expanse, and The Thicket.
It's a bummer that Dewey won't be played by the actor who originally played him, but we have to keep the faith that the creative team searched high and low for the perfect replacement who can embody the character in a similar but still unique way. And as previously mentioned, Ellsworth-Clark favors Per Sullivan, so the hope is that some viewers might not even notice the recasting.
Admittedly, as a fan of Malcolm in the Middle, Dewey was always my favorite character to watch in the series. He had some of the most iconic storylines, even as a boy of few words. Who could ever forget the classic episode when Dewey used an old purse as his new backpack and committed so hard that he had his bullies scrambling? He wielded that purse as a functional backpack and weapon against toxic masculinity all in one.
In addition to Dewey's recasting and the returns of Masterson and Berfield, the revival has also added Anthony Timpano as Malcolm's youngest brother Jamie, Vaughan Murrae as Malcolm's youngest sibling Kelly, and Keeley Karsten as Malcolm's daughter Leah. They join previously announced newcomer to the series Kiana Madeira, who will play Malcolm's girlfriend Tristan.
Muniz recently shared an update on social that filming begins "in a few days" and expressed his anticipation to reunite with his cast TV family. Production will reportedly take place in Vancouver between April 13 and May 15, and since there are only four episodes, there's a great chance that we could be watching the revival before the end of the year. Fingers crossed!
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