Los Angeles, April 5 – The creators of the show ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ apparently left no stone unturned in their efforts to lure Erik Per Sullivan out of retirement and cast him in ‘Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair’.
However, this wasn't enough to convince the young man who played the iconic Dewey to take a break from studying literature at Harvard, as reported by ‘Deadline’.
In an interview with ‘The Guardian’, actress Jane Kaczmarek said, “Erik is studying Dickens and is an incredible student. They offered him a lot of money to come back, and he simply said, ‘No, thank you’.”
Erik is the only original cast member to be recast for the upcoming four-episode revival of the old Fox comedy series. Caleb Ellsworth-Clark will play the role.
According to ‘Deadline’, in the revival, titled after the original series' theme song, Malcolm is pulled back into his family's orbit when Hal (played by Bryan Cranston) and Lois (played by Jane Kaczmarek) demand his presence at their 40th anniversary party.
The trailer for the revival features the return of Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek as the parents, as well as Christopher Kennedy Masterson and Justin Berfield as Malcolm's brothers Francis and Reese, respectively, and Emy Coligado as Francis' wife Piama. It also introduces Anthony Timpano and Vaughan Murrae as the youngest siblings Jamie and Kelly, who were seen as a toddler (Jamie) or not at all (Kelly) in the original series, as well as Keeley Karsten as Malcolm's daughter Leah and Kiana Madeira as his girlfriend Tristan.
‘Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair’ is set to premiere on April 10 on Hulu and Disney+.
‘Malcolm in the Middle’ follows a gifted boy, Malcolm, played by Frankie Muniz, navigating life in a dysfunctional, lower-middle-class family. The show is known for its single-camera format, lack of a laugh track, and direct-to-camera narration. It received critical acclaim for its writing and performances.