Christian Slater has signed on to play a major villain in the upcoming Disney+ series adaptation of “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” Variety has confirmed.
The show was first announced as part of Disney+ Day in November 2021. Based on the best-selling children’s books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, “The Spiderwick Chronicles” follows the Grace family — twin brothers Jared and Simon, sister Mallory and their mother Helen — as they move into their great-great uncle’s home and discover a world of fairies that exists parallel to their own.
Slater will star as Mulgarath. The character is described as a capital-V Villain who does what all ogres do — he eats people, an insatiable desire to consume. Mulgarath wants the secrets contained in Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Natural World for a nefarious scheme that will satisfy his hunger.
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Slater’s recent TV credits include “Inside Job” at Netflix, “Dr. Death” at Peacock, and “Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story” for USA Network. He was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards for his supporting role in the USA Network series “Mr. Robot,” winning the award in 2016. Slater is also known for his roles in films like “Heathers,” “True Romance,” and “Interview with the Vampire.”
He is repped by UTA and Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen.
The new “Spiderwick Chronicles” series hails from Paramount Television Studios and 20th Television. Aron Eli Coleite will serve as showrunner, and Coleite, Black, DiTerlizzi, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, D.J. Goldberg and Julie Kane-Ritsch will executive produce. Kat Coiro is the director on the first two episodes and will also executive produce.
The series contains five books, “The Field Guide,” “The Seeing Stone,” “Lucinda’s Secret,” “The Ironwood Tree” and “The Wrath of Mulgarath.” A spinoff series, titled “Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles,” consists of three novels: “The Nixie’s Song,” “A Giant Problem” and “The Wyrm King.”
A film adaptation of the books debuted in 2008, and starred Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, Mary-Louise Parker, Martin Short, Nick Nolte and Seth Rogen. Directed by Mark Waters, the movie made $162.8 million at the box office and received generally positive reviews from critics. There has also been a video game adaptation of the books, which was released in 2008.
Deadline first reported Slater’s casting.
