The cast of Malcolm in the Middle is reuniting for a revival series, but Erik Per Sullivan, who played Dewey, will not be part of it.
Bryan Cranston, who played the lovable, bumbling dad Hal, explained why one of his TV sons turned down the opportunity.
“I talked to Eric and I said, ‘Hey, we got the show! It’s going to come back.’ He goes, ‘Oh, that’s fantastic!’” he told hosts Dana Carvey and David Spade on the Wednesday, June 10, episode of their “Fly on the Wall” podcast. “And I go, ‘Yeah, so we’re looking forward to having you back.’ He goes, ‘Oh, no, no, I don’t want to do it. But it’s fantastic.’”
Malcolm in the Middle ran for seven seasons from 2000 to 2006, centering on the dysfunctional Wilkerson family and their unruly sons. Frankie Muniz played the middle child and title character, a child prodigy forced to deal with his dim-witted-but-ruthless older brother Reese and sneaky genius younger brother, Dewey, while the eldest brother, Francis, began the series at military school.
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Like his character, whose genius was often overshadowed by Malcolm’s, Per Sullivan, 33, will be busy embracing his inner Krelboyne.
“He’s actually going to Harvard,” Cranston, 69, explained. “He’s really, really smart, and he’s getting his master’s at Harvard right now. He said, ‘Oh, God, no, I haven’t acted since I was 9 or something. So I’m not into it.’”
Caleb Ellsworth-Clark will portray Dewey in the upcoming series instead, alongside TV brothers Malcolm, Reese (Justin Berfield) and Francis (Christopher Masterson). Anthony Timpano will play the youngest sibling, Jamie, who was introduced in season 4 and was a toddler when the original series ended. Jane Kaczmarek will reprise her role as Lois, the family’s hot-headed and controlling mother.
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As for Cranston, he previously said he was looking forward to portraying Hal again. Shortly after Malcolm in the Middle’s original run ended, he began playing Walter White, the ruthless antihero on AMC’s Breaking Bad.
“I missed him,” he told People of Hal in May. “It’s been almost 20 years since we said goodbye. And he’s a sweet, lovable man. He’s really a lovable guy, and it was fun to see all my whole family back together. It was great.”
He also told the outlet the one piece of clothing he needed to jump back into the character he hasn’t played in nearly two decades.
“It’s a short-sleeve shirt that Hal would wear,” he said. “A patterned short-sleeve shirt that screams out he’s not going anywhere.”
Filming for the four-episode Malcolm in the Middle revival wrapped in May, and the series will stream on Disney+ in December 2025.
