Earlier this year, it was revealed that as part of Disney’s long-running cost-cutting exercise, that it was no longer going to release the original series, “Spiderwick Chronicles” on Disney+ and was looking to sell the show to another network.

The series is based on the popular book by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, and is a modern coming-of-age story combined with a fantasy-adventure as the Grace Family – twin brothers Jared and Simon, their sister Mallory and mother Helen – move into their dilapidated ancestral home and begin to unravel a dark mystery about their great-great uncle, who once discovered the secret and maybe foreboding faerie world existing parallel to their own.

The show was initially announced during Disney+ Day in 2021 and was a joint production between Paramount Television Studios and 20th Television. Deadline has reported that Paramount has been able to find a new home for it, as the show will now debut on Roku in the United States in early 2024. Paramount Global Content Distribution will be distributing the series internationally.

Brian Tannenbaum, Head of Originals, Roku Media said in a statement:

“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. We cannot wait to introduce this exquisitely crafted series, imagined by a world-class creative team, to millions of streamers.”

Paramount’s President Nicole Clemens added:

“We are elated that The Spiderwick Chronicles has found a new home and want to thank The Roku Channel for their passionate partnership. 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.”

It stars Christian Slater, Lyon Daniels, Joy Bryant, Mychala Lee, Noah Cottrell, Momona Tamada & Alyvia Alyn Lind. This new show has been written by Aron Eli Coleite, and he will also be the showrunner and an executive producer along with Holly Black, Jack Dylan Grazer, Tony DiTerlizzi, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, D.J. Goldberg, and Julie Kane-Ritsch.    “She-Hulk” director, Kat Coiro, has directed two of the episodes of the upcoming series.

Apparently, the show was much darker than your typical Disney+ original and was cut from Disney+ to focus on content curation and to focus on Disney-owned franchises. While it’s good news that Paramount was able to find a new home for the show, it’s odd it didn’t decide it was worth putting on its own Paramount+ series, instead selling it to someone else.  It’s also much better than a show is released, than the alternative of cancelling it and writing it off before a release.  But it’s still sad to see a Disney+ Original heading somewhere else.

Will you be checking out “The Spiderwick Chronicles” series when it arrives on Roku? Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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