In 2003, Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black introduced the world to the Grace family. After they move into the Spiderwick Estate, things get fantastical for twins Simon and Jared, as well as older sister Mallory. It was only the beginning of this magical story. With the books and a feature film release in 2008, the stories are back. After originally being produced for Disney Plus, The Spiderwick Chronicles series has found a home this weekend on Roku. Showrunner Aron Eli Coleite looked to expand on the world, with the help of its creators. And the impressive cast led by Christian Slater and Joy Bryant, are all in on the fantasy.
Recently, we had the great joy of speaking with the fine folks that brought Spiderwick to life. First up, we sat down with DiTerlizzi and Black. The authors discussed the excitement of expanding the world they created. During the conversation, Mr. DiTerlizzi showed JoBlo a little love during the course of the interview. And with the series hitting Roku, we spoke with Coleite about working with the creators of the series, and putting more focus on the characters than the feature film that came out before.
Next up, we spoke to Christian Slater and Joy Bryant. And they were fantastic. Even though I’d never interviewed Mr. Slater before, I did met him years before. After a nostalgic music store discussion, Joy and Christian opened up about taking on this magical tale. As well, we spoke to Lyon Daniels, Mychala Lee, and Noah Cottrell about playing the Grace family children. The three young actors were terrific to speak with, and they opened up about the excitement of being a part of this.
And finally, we talked to one of my favorite fellas to interview, Jack Dylan Grazer, and his talented co-star, Alyvia Alyn Lind. It’s always a joy to chat with Jack, and he talked about playing the magical little creature, Thimbletack. As for Ms. Lind, she opened up about playing an original role to the television series. Since they could expand the stories, with the help of the original authors, it made it easier to build an even bigger world for these characters. Check out The Spiderwick Chronicles, available on Roku now. Read our review of the show HERE.