Dewey Stars in Malcolm Reboot with Purpose

The revival of Malcolm in the Middle is officially moving forward with the original cast reuniting—except for one key member, Dewey. The beloved younger brother from the series, originally played by Erik Per Sullivan, will not be returning. Stepping into the role for the reboot is Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.

Series star Bryan Cranston shared the update during a chat on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast. “I reached out to Erik and told him, ‘Guess what—the show is coming back!’” Cranston recalled. “He said, ‘Oh, that’s amazing!’ So I told him, ‘We can’t wait to have you on board again.’ His response was, ‘Oh, no, thank you, but I’m not interested. Still, it’s wonderful news.’”

Now 33, the former actor has a solid reason for skipping the reboot. “He’s actually enrolled at Harvard,” Cranston explained enthusiastically on the podcast. “He’s incredibly bright—he’s completing his master’s degree there. He told me, ‘Oh wow, no, I haven’t acted since I was about nine. That’s just not my thing anymore.’”

After the series concluded its original run in 2006, Sullivan took a step back from acting just a few years later at age 19 to explore other passions—which clearly led him to an impressive academic journey outside of entertainment. The rest of the original cast is set to return, including Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, alongside Jane Kaczmarek, Justin Berfield, and Christopher Masterson.

Filming wrapped up last month, and an official release date is still under wraps. Fans can look forward to the reboot, consisting of four half-hour episodes, arriving on Disney+ in the near future.