This was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
The latest frustrating Disney decision is a whopper: Deadline reports that the company has decided not to move forward with the completed adaptation of Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi’s The Spiderwick Chronicles, which was announced so enthusiastically during Disney+ Day in 2021.
Yes, that says completed adaptation: The eight episodes are ready to go, but Disney+ will no longer be airing them.
Deadline notes, “The decision comes as Disney — along with other media companies — have been reevaluating their streaming strategies by cutting programming costs with a renewed focus on profitability.” They also write that this was a decision made “amid a focus on content curation and Disney-owned IP.” So, yes to Percy Jackson (published by Disney-owned Hyperion) and no to Spiderwick (published by Simon & Schuster).
The adaptation stars Lyon Daniels (We Can Be Heroes) and Noah Cottrell (Gordita Chronicles) as twin brothers Jared and Simon. The rest of the cast includes Jack Dylan Grazer, Joy Bryant, Mychala Lee, and Christian Slater as the villain Mulgarath. Black and DiTerlizzi are executive producers, along with showrunner Aron Eli Coleite.
We may still see the series somewhere: It was produced by Paramount Television Studios and 20th Television, and Paramount is looking for other buyers. Black posted the news on Instagram, noting that yes, we will see the show, “Yes, but @diterlizzi and I don’t know where yet! And that means we’re not sure when either. But we promise that we’ll let you know as soon as we do.”
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