The new series based on The Spiderwick Chronicles has finally locked in a director, with She-Hulk’s Kat Coiro taking over duties on the first two episodes of the Disney+ show as well as acting as executive producer for the series as a whole. This will be the second time the books by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi has been adapted for screen, the previous attempt being the 2008 movie starring Freddie Highmore in the dual role of twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace. While the movie was generally well received, like most adapted movies, some fans wanted a lot more than the short film delivered. This time around, they will be hoping for a richer and more expanded telling of the story of the magical world that hides in the run-down Spiderwick Estate.
Kat Coiro comes to the series with a healthy set of credentials behind her, from the Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy Marry Me, to TV comedies like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Modern Family, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, along with Shameless and Dead To Me. Later, this summer brings Marvel’s She-Hulk to Disney+, with Coiro having acted as director and executive producer on six of its episodes. Following the pressure of carrying a Marvel Studios series to life, The Spiderwick Chronicles should be an equally challenging show to work on.
It was announced as part of Disney+ Day back in November that the House of Mouse was developing a new take on the fantasy book series that consists of The Field Guide, The Seeing Stone, Lucinda’s Secret, The Ironwood Tree and The Wrath of Mulgarath, and subsequently produced a second set of books featuring The Nixie’s Song, A Giant Problem and The Wyrm King. Black and DiTerlizzi will act as executive producers, while Lock & Key’s Aron Eli Coleite will be showrunner.
The Spiderwick Chronicles Deserves an Expanded Adaptation
The books of The Spiderwick Chronicles make up one story about the story of the Grace siblings, twins Simon and Jared and older sister Mallory. When they move into the Spiderwick Estate, they discover a secret library, and a brownie named Thimbletack, which is their first encounter with the creatures and wonders they go on to discover. The first book introduced the world of fantastic and often dangerous creatures that inhabit the world but cannot be seen by mere mortals and subsequent volumes saw the children discover that they must fight to protect the things they love and prevent a dark evil from taking over their lives.
While the movie version was generally well-received, with just a 96-minute runtime, there were many details left out of the telling. This time around, with a potential multi-season series to work with, fans should finally get to see a more expansive version of the world of The Spiderwick Chronicles brought to life. As of yet, there has been no word on any casting for the series, but with a director now attached, it will probably not be too much longer before we find out which young star will be taking on the challenge of the dual role of the Grace twins in the show.