After Disney announced it cancelled the already completed Spiderwick Chronicles TV series a couple months ago, Roku has stepped in to save the series and will stream it next year.
The Spiderwick Chronicles is based on the bestselling books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black and is described as a contemporary American gothic coming-of-age story. Disney ordered the series for Disney+ in November 2021 and it began filming last year with principal photography finishing in the early months of this year.
All eight episodes of the series had been fully completed when Disney announced the surprising cancellation, citing cost-cutting efforts and using the series as a tax write-off in a shift to focus on producing Disney-owned IP rather than producing films and TV outside their studio. “We will be removing certain content from our streaming platforms and currently expect to take an impairment charge of approximately $1.5 to $1.8 billion,” Disney said at the time.
“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, Roku Media’s head of originals. “We cannot wait to introduce this exquisitely crafted series, imagined by a world-class creative team, to millions of streamers.”
“We are elated that The Spiderwick Chronicles has found a new home and want to thank The Roku Channel for their passionate partnership,” said Nicole Clemens, the president of Paramount Television Studios and Paramount+ Original Scripted Series. “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.”
Upon leaving New York and moving to Michigan and into their run-down ancestral home—The Spiderwick Estate—with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate, fantastical world.
The Spiderwick Chronicles stars Christian Slater, Joy Bryant, Noah Cottrell, Lyon Daniels and Mychala Lee with Jack Dylan Grazer providing the voice of Thimbletack.
The Spiderwick Chronicles will stream on The Roku Channel in early 2024.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
