EXCLUSIVE: The Spiderwick Chronicles, starring Joy Bryant and Christian Slater, has found a new home. Roku has picked up the exclusive U.S. rights to the television adaptation of the popular children’s fantasy books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. The eight-episode series, from Paramount Television Studios and 20th Television, will premiere on the platform in early 2024.
For Roku, this marks the most ambitious series to date. So far, the scripted slate of the free, ad-supported streamer has consisted largely of shows from the Quibi content library it acquired in 2021.
“It is an honor to bring The Spiderwick Chronicles, a spectacular adventure-filled story led by the incredible Christian Slater and Joy Bryant, exclusively to The Roku Channel,” said Brian Tannenbaum, Head of Originals, Roku Media. “We cannot wait to introduce this exquisitely crafted series, imagined by a world-class creative team, to millions of streamers.”
The news comes a month and a half after Disney+, which originally had ordered The Spiderwick Chronicles, opted not to proceed with the series as part of a cost-cutting streaming programming removal with a focus on content curation and Disney-owned IP. Additionally, I hear the series was deemed to be darker than the typical Disney+ fare.
As Deadline reported at the time, Paramount TV Studios immediately started shopping The Spiderwick Chronicles. Led by President Nicole Clemens, the studio’s team was able to quickly find a new platform for the series in an uncertain marketplace impacted by an industry contraction and double Hollywood strikes.
“We are elated that The Spiderwick Chronicles has found a new home and want to thank The Roku Channel for their passionate partnership,” Clemens said. “Our showrunner Aron Eli Coleite has crafted a beautiful series full of all the enchantment that made the books so beloved, and we can’t wait for audiences to meet these wonderful characters.”
At Roku, The Spiderwick Chronicles will join Chad, another series which had been produced for a big media company (Warner Bros. Discovery) that underwent content cuts. Its second season also is expected to debut in early 2024.
Like most studios and streamers, Roku recently underwent a cost reduction, laying off around 10% of staff and taking an impairment charge in the $55 million – $65 million range related to removing licensed and produced content from the platform.
Based on the wildly popular fantasy adventure novels, which have sold 20 million copies in over 30 countries, The Spiderwick Chronicles follows the coming-of-age story of the Grace Family, as they move from New York to Michigan and into their family’s ancestral home. Upon arrival, the family not only uncovers mysteries hidden inside their great grandfather’s Spiderwick Estate, but also discovers a secret, fantastical world around them.
The series’ ensemble cast includes 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 Spiderwick Chronicles is executive produced by Coleite, who serves as showrunner, Kat Coiro, who directs the first two episodes of the series, as well as Tony DiTerlizzi, Holly Black, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, D.J. Goldberg, Julie Kane-Ritsch and Grace Gilroy. Produced by Paramount Television Studios & 20th Television, Paramount Global Content Distribution distributes the series internationally.