Dulé Hill & Laura Kariuki Join “The Wonder Years” ABC Reboot
Recently it was revealed that ABC has ordered a pilot for the new project, which is being directed by Fred Savage, who played the lead role in the original 1980s family comedy-series. He will be an executive producer on the new series along with Saladin Patterson and Empire co-creator Lee Daniels.
The new series will take place in the 1960s and will focus on a Black middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama. With Elisha “EJ” Williams playing the lead role, Dean, who is an equivalent to Savage’s Kevin Arnold. Dean’s mother, Lillian Williams will be played by Saycon Sengbloh.
Now more casting details on the upcoming ABC reboot of the classic 80s series “The Wonder Years” have been revealed by Deadline.
Dulé Hill will be joining the series and will be playing Bill Williams, Dean’s (Elisha Williams) dad. He’s a music professor by day and a funk musician by night – described by Adult Dean as “The baddest guy I knew.” Almost always calm and composed, his favorite words are “be cool.” Bill wants his family and their black, middle-class neighborhood to remain self-sufficient and he puts his money where his mouth is. Dulé Hill has previously starred in “Suits”, “Psych” and “The West Wing”.
While Laura Kariuki will be joining the show as Kim Williams, Dean’s teenage sister, Kim is confident, bright and popular. She and Dean bicker as siblings do but they have a good relationship. Her parents have her preparing for college – but Kim is starting to rebel, telling them “Bobby Seale and H. Rap Brown didn’t even finish college” and that she’ll learn more from Eldridge Cleaver’s “Soul on Ice” than the SAT’s. Laura Kariuki has previously starred in “Black Lightning”.
The original series’ co-creator Neal Marlens will be serving as a consultant on the reboot. 20th Television is the studio creating the series.
Would you like to see a reboot of “The Wonder Years”?