Spiderwick Chronicles: Christian Slater Says New TV Series Is "Complete and Total Departure" From Movie
We talked to Christian Slater about taking on a role once played by Nick Nolte.
The Spiderwick Chronicles was revived by Roku after the completed first season was scrapped by Disney+ before it was set to air. The new series is debuting this weekend, and it stars some big names, including Christan Slater as the shape-shifting ogre, Mulgarath. ComicBook.com recently had the chance to chat with Slater, and the actor revealed the new series is very different from The Spiderwick Chronicles movie from 2008, which was also based on the book series by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black.
"A little bit. Yes," Slater admitted when asked if it was "daunting" to be taking over the role of Mulgarath, who was played by Nick Nolte in the 2008 film. "Nick Nolte is definitely one of my favorite actors. You know, he's incredible and did a fantastic job in the movie. But I felt like this was really a complete and total departure from the movie."
"I think obviously the characters were able to be greatly expanded upon, and that whole storyline of Mulgarath trying to weave his way into this lovely struggling family was a nice element, I think, to introduce into this story," Slater continued. "I like that dynamic. I loved working with Joy [Bryant]. The kids were great, got to do a lot of fun scenes with those guys. And I got to be as nuts as I wanted to be, which I always loved to do."
You can watch our interview with Slater at the top of the page.
What Is The Spiderwick Chronicles About?
In Roku's The Spiderwick Chronicles, the Grace family moves from Brooklyn, New York, to their ancestral home in Henson, Michigan: the Spiderwick Estate. Helen makes the move with her 15-year-old fraternal twin boys, Jared and Simon, and her older daughter, Mallory. Shortly after moving to the Spiderwick Estate Jared discovers a boggart and realizes that magical creatures are real. The only one to believe him is his great-aunt Lucinda, who implores Jared to find the pages of her father's field guide to magical creatures and protect them from the murderous Ogre, Mulgarath.
The cast of The Spiderwick Chronicles includes Joy Bryant, Lyon Daniels, Noah Cottrell, Mychala Lee, Jack Dylan Grazer, Christian Slater, and Alyvia Alyn Lind. The series is showrun by Aron Eli Coleite, with executive producers including Coleite, Kat Coiro, Tony DiTerlizzi, Holly Black, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, D.J. Goldberg, Julie Kane-Ritsch, and Grace Gilroy.
The Spiderwick Chronicles debuts on the Roku Channel on April 19th.