Watch: Malcolm in the Middle Revival Recasts Major Role
When Malcolm in the Middle returns, someone will be missing from the cast.
Ahead of the upcoming revival of the beloved sitcom’s four-episode revival at Disney+, multiple outlets report that Erik Per Sullivan won’t be returning as Malcolm’s younger brother, Dewey. Instead, Caleb Ellsworth-Clark will take on the role.
While Malcolm in the Middle fans will be disappointed not to have the entire original cast returning, the update makes sense, given that Per Sullivan left Hollywood over a decade ago and hasn’t taken on an acting role since 2010’s Twelve. In fact, per his IMDb, he had just four roles after Malcolm ended in 2006 after seven seasons.
E! News has reached out to Disney for comment and has yet to hear back.
Outside of Dewey, every member of the Wilkerson family will be played by the original actors: Frankie Muniz is returning as the titular Malcolm, Justin Berfield and Christopher Masterson are coming back as his older brothers Francis and Reese, respectively, while Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek will once again play their parents Hal and Lois.
In addition to the five original stars returning, the limited revival series will also feature several other new faces.
Anthony Timpano will play Malcolm’s youngest brother, Jamie, who appeared as a baby and toddler in the series’ original run, while Vaughan Murrae will play the family’s sixth child, Kelly, whose existence was hinted at after Lois was shown holding a positive pregnancy test in the Malcolm in the Middle series finale.
Kelly is described as “the youngest child of Lois and Hal, who is self-sufficient, gets good grades and already wiser than most of the family,” according to Variety. Like Murrae, Kelly is also non-binary.
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The series—which was confirmed with a video featuring Muniz, Cranston and Kaczmarek in December—will center on Malcolm returning home for his parents’ 40th anniversary party with his daughter, Leah, in tow.
Keeley Karsten will take on that role, which Deadline described as having “the same sarcastic humor, same impulsiveness and the same frighteningly high intelligence as him, but she’s far more sensitive and emotional.” Kiana Madeira will play Malcolm’s girlfriend, Tristan.
Muniz recently assured fans of the original series that they will be happy with the new episodes.
“I’m so excited,” the 39-year-old exclusively told E! News‘ Will Marfuggi last month. “I think Brian and I first started talking at a dinner that we had in 2015. And the fact that now 10 years later, 25 years after the show started, it’s going to happen—I’m really excited. I think people are going to be thrilled to see everybody and the ideas that they’ve come up with.”
He further teased, “Because that was a big thing for me, too, is like the possibilities are endless on what Malcolm and his family could be up to. I’ve read the scripts, so I know. And I think people are going to be pretty excited.”
Keep reading for more updates on the Malcolm in the Middle cast…
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After rocketing to mega-fame as kid genius Malcolm, Muniz was one of young Hollywood’s most sought-after (and highest-paid) teen actors, starring in hit films like Big Fat Liar and Agent Cody Banks.
But shortly after Malcolm’s long run ending in 2006, Muniz, now 34, revealed, “Growing up has never scared me until last year. I started thinking about getting older, being an adult, and it scared me. Hopefully things will work out in my career. If they don’t, then it was never meant to be.”
He would ultimately end up leaving acting to pursue a career as a professional race car driver, and in 2017, he came in third on Dancing With the Stars, later going on to serve as the host of the ABC hit’s spinoff, Dancing With the Stars: Juniors. During his run on DWTS, Muniz revealed his struggles with memory loss, admitting he can’t remember his time on the long-running sitcom.
In 2018, Muniz got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Paige Price. The two started their own olive oil company. They wed in February 2021 and welcomed their first child, son Mauz Mosley Muniz the following month.
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Before he was the one who knocks on Breaking Bad, Cranston’s breakout performance was as Hal Wilkerson, the patriarch of the family, earning three Emmy nominations during the show’s six-year run.
Of course, Cranston went on to deliver one of TV’s most iconic performances, playing science teacher-turned-drug lord Walter White, on one of TV’s most iconic series, Breaking Bad, for five years. He won four Emmys during his run as TV’s ultimate anti-hero, forging a close bond with his co-star Aaron Paul. In 2019, the friends teamed up to release their own artesanal mezcal, disappointing fans hoping for a Breaking Bad revival. (Hey, at least he made a cameo in El Camino, Netflix’s Breaking Bad sequel film?)
Following those impressive runs, Cranston continued to earn critical acclaim for his work in films such as Trumbo (which earned him his first Oscar nom) and Isle of Dogs, as well as the HBO TV movie All the Way, with his portrayal of president Lyndon B. Johnson earning him a SAG Award. Before it hit the small screen, All the Way had a beloved run on Broadway, with Cranston winning a Tony for his work on the stage. He won a Tony again 2019 for his return to the stage in Network.
But in 2016, Cranston told E! News he was hoping a Malcolm in the Middle revival would eventually happen, saying, “I sure hope so…I really do, for no other reason than that I miss those people like crazy and I stay in touch with them. The boys are doing great and Jane is doing wonderfully and I’d love to.”
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During her celebrated run as Lois, the sole female in the Wilkerson, Kaczmarek earned seven Emmy nominations, setting a record for the most nominations in the same category without ever winning.
After Malcolm ended its run in 2006, she starred in several short-lived series, including Help Me Help You, Whitney and Raising the Bar. She also made guest appearances on hit shows like Law & Order: SVU, The Comeback, The Big Bang Theory and The Middle. Most recently, she guested on This Is Us.
And Malcolm fans received an unexpected surprise via the Breaking Bad DVD set, which included an alternate ending that revealed that the AMC hit drama’s run was really Hal (Cranston) having a nightmare, waking up in bed next to Lois.
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While he played the oldest brother/delinquent Francis on Malcolm, Masterson is the younger brother of That ’70s Show star Danny Masterson and he dated his brother’s co-star Laura Prepon for seven years, ultimately splitting in 2007.
During his run on the show, Masterson starred in films such as Scary Movie 2 and Wuthering Heights, and he was reportedly considered for the role of Will Turner in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, with Orlando Bloom going on to land the major part. He last appeared in two episodes of the SyFy series Haven in 2014 before making his DJ career his full-time hustle, performing as DJ Chris Kennedy.
He married actress Yolanda Pecoraro in 2019. On April 3, 2021, the two welcomed their first child, Chiara Darby Masterson.
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Oh, Reese. After playing the impulsive second brother for over 150 episodes, Berfield, now 34, shifted his attention toward producing, going on to co-found Virgin Produced, Virgin’s entertainment production company. Per Instagram, he’s an avid fisher.
And how’s this for a humble brag? He recently tweeted, “Beyoncé once told me I had beautiful eyes. True story.” Another fun fact: He briefly owned the home that Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson lived in on Newylweds after their split.
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The youngest of the brothers before baby Jamie came along, Sullivan played Dewey for all 151 episodes.
Now 29, Sullivan retired from acting in 2010, last appearing in Twelve opposite 50 Cent, Chace Crawford and Emma Roberts.
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After playing Malcolm’s adoring teacher Caroline Miller in the first two seasons as a main cast member, Burns released her first book, It Hit Me Like a Ton of Bricks, in 2007, and went on to appear in several episodes of TBS’ Search Party.
