Roku has acquired the exclusive, premiere U.S. rights to The Spiderwick Chronicles after Disney+ declined to pick up the completed series.
The eight-episode series, based on the best-selling book series by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, will premiere on the Roku Channel in early 2024. The series is produced by Paramount Television Studios & 20th Television, a division of Disney, and the series was shopped to other buyers starting this summer.
The Spiderwick Chronicles follows the Grace Family as they move from New York to Michigan and inhabit their family’s ancestral home. At the Spiderwick Estate, they uncover a “secret fantastical world.”
The series stars Joy Bryant, Noah Cottrell, Lyon Daniels, Mychala Lee, Jack Dylan Grazer and Christian Slater. Aron Eli Coleite, is the executive producer and showrunner, along with Kat Coiro, who also directs the first two episodes of the series.
“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,” said Brian Tannenbaum, head of originals, Roku Media. “We cannot wait to introduce this exquisitely crafted series, imagined by a world-class creative team, to millions of streamers.”
“We are elated that The Spiderwick Chronicles has found a new home and want to thank The Roku Channel for their passionate partnership,” said Nicole Clemens, President of Paramount Television Studios and Paramount+ Original Scripted Series. “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.”
This joins other original programming on the Roku Channel, which has included WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, The Great American Baking Show and Die Hart 2: Die Harter. Roku has also signed a content deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to air shows including Westworld, The Bachelor, Cake Boss, Say Yes to the Dress and FBoy Island.
