Disney+ has opted not to proceed with releasing the live-action eight-episode series adaptation of the children’s fantasy books “The Spiderwick Chronicles”.
The project hails from Paramount Television Studios and 20th Television, who have already shot and completed the series. As a result, the show is being shopped around by Paramount to other potential buyers.
Announced as part of Disney+ Day celebrations in 2021, the series is an adaptation of Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black’s children’s fantasy adventure book series. Jack Dylan Grazer, Lyon Daniels, Noah Cottrell, Joy Bryant, Mychala Lee and Christian Slater star.
The story follows the Grace Family as they move into a dilapidated ancestral home and begin to unravel a dark mystery about their great-great Uncle who discovered a foreboding faerie world existing parallel to their own.
The new take was dubbd a “modern coming-of-age story combined with fantasy adventure”. Nickelodeon and Paramount previously adapted the property into a 2008 film starring Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Martin Short and Seth Rogen.
The decision is part of the major content write-off announced by Disney back in May and comes as media giants re-evaluate their streaming strategies.
Disney+ is mostly sticking to Disney-owned IP for its live-action series such as the upcoming “Percy Jackson” show. There are exceptions though, most notably the Sony TV-produced “Goosebumps” series and the BBC’s “Doctor Who”.
Source: Deadline
