Malcolm in the Middle fans are gearing up for the TV reboot – which was announced nearly two decades after the final episode aired.
But there will be one notable absence from the sitcom, which focuses on middle child and prodigy Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) dealing with the daily chaos of his suburban American family.
Yesterday, it was announced that the role of the youngest child, Dewey, had been recast. Previously played by Erik Per Sullivan, 33, the character will now be portrayed by Fargo actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.
Not long after shooting to fame in Malcolm in the Middle, Erik quit acting, with his last professional credit was 2010 film Twelve, which also starred Emma Roberts and Chace Crawford.
He has rarely been seen in public since – but now his last-known sighting has been unearthed on YouTube, filmed 12 years ago, according to the upload date.
In it, Erik, who said he was in Positano, Italy, sends greetings to two fans of Malcolm in the Middle after being approached by their uncle.
Jane Kaczmarek, who plays the matriarch Lois in Malcolm in the Middle, previously spoke about Erik’s decision to step away from the limelight.
‘He’s well, he’s very, very well…He did Malcolm for seven years, he started at seven, he ended at 14. He wasn’t interested in acting, at all,’ she said in a 2024 interview with the YouTube channel Malcolm France.
‘He goes to school at a very prestigious American university that he’s asked us all to be quiet about and he loves Charles Dickens. He’s doing graduate work in Victorian literature. I admire it because so many people think being in show business is the greatest thing in the world, it’s not for everyone.’
Given Erik decided to move away from acting 15 years ago, several Malcolm in the Middle fans have hailed the decision to have a new actor play Dewey in the reboot, rather than removing the character completely.
‘That’s pretty cool, actually. He wanted out of that crazy life and it sounds like people respected it,’ a Reddit user called Oreo_ wrote.
‘It’s a surprisingly well-cast recast,’ CollinsCouldveDucked said, while thizface, remarked: ‘The new dude looks just like him.’
Bobthetomatovibes said that while it’s ‘sad’ that Erik isn’t returning, ‘it makes sense if he really wants nothing to do with acting anymore’.
‘I’m glad they’re not just pretending the character doesn’t exist!’ they stated.
In the reboot, original cast members, including Justin Berfield and Christopher Masterson as Malcolm’s brothers Reese and Francis respectively, as well as Bryan Cranston and Jane as Malcolm’s parents, are returning.
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Malcolm in the Middle is being rebooted for four episodes by Disney Plus.
The logline for the revival reads: ‘Malcolm (Muniz) and his daughter are drawn into the family’s chaos when Hal (Cranston) and Lois (Kaczmarek) demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party.’
Disney released no further details, including its release date, but its president of branded TV, Ayo Davis, teased the series would have ‘the laughs, pranks, and mayhem fans loved — along with a few surprises that remind us why this show is so timeless.’
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Malcolm in the Middle originally ran for seven seasons from 2000 until 2006.
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