Summary
- The Spiderwick Chronicles show, originally planned for Disney Plus, will now be released on Roku in early 2024 after being canceled due to cost-cutting decisions.
- The darker tone of the adaptation was reportedly a factor in Disney's rejection, as it didn't align with the platform's usual content, which includes Marvel and Star Wars.
- The acquisition of The Spiderwick Chronicles is a significant move for Roku, which has mainly relied on acquired content, and they're excited to bring this well-crafted series to their audience.
The Spiderwick Chronicles show created for Disney Plus has found a new avenue for fans to see the world of the beloved children’s book series come to life.
The Spiderwick Chronicles is a popular children’s book series that centers around the three Grace children. In the book series, the Grace family moves into the titular Spiderwick Estate and discovers the existence of all sorts of mythical creatures that lead the children on seemingly whimsical adventures, eventually cumulating in a high-stakes struggle against evil with the fate of the world at stake. The live-action adaptation was greenlit for Disney Plus and started production in 2022, a year with some great fantasy series on offer that likely served as motivation for the streamer.
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Unfortunately, Disney canceled plans for the Spiderwick Chronicles show amid cost-cutting decisions, leaving Paramount TV Studios and 20th Television to shop for a new home to air the already-completed project. Now, Deadline reports that the series has found its salvation in a rival streaming platform after more than a month of uncertainty, as Disney Plus competitor Roku snapped up the series for release in early 2024. In addition to the general cost-cutting tactic, the eight-episode adaptation of the children’s book series was seemingly rejected because the material was darker than usual for the Disney Plus platform, which includes the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most canon Star Wars content, and more.
The Spiderwick Chronicles show's new home on Roku is a victory for Paramount, who also recently started cost-cutting measures, which included the cancellation that caused Star Trek: Prodigy fans to fly a banner over streamer HQs in a bid to save the series. “We are elated that The Spiderwick Chronicles has found a new home and want to thank The Roku Channel for their passionate partnership,” Paramount TV Studios President Nicole 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.” The franchise is ripe for re-introduction into the popular consciousness, a fact that Disney likely saw clearly before deciding to focus on its own expansive list of company-owned IPs.
The new acquisition is the company’s biggest move in a while, as it has generally subsisted off of content acquired after Roku confirmed buying Quibi's content catalog to bolster its streaming library back 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,” Brian Tannenbaum, Head of Originals at Roku Media, explained. “We cannot wait to introduce this exquisitely crafted series, imagined by a world-class creative team, to millions of streamers.”
While Disney Plus might have passed on a good thing in The Spiderwick Chronicles, the streamer isn’t hurting for appeal in the show’s target demographic, as the Disney Plus Percy Jackson adaptation is the bigger draw in terms of its existing audience. While the franchise has seen some less-than-stellar adaptations in the 2010s, the Disney Plus Percy Jackson series has already fixed many mistakes that the film adaptations made based on content seen in the promotional material. The success of The Spiderwick Chronicles and Percy Jackson shows can only be speculated on until release.
The Spiderwick Chronicles will premiere on the Roku streaming service in early 2024.
Source: Deadline