“There’s a number of different things”: What Makes The Spiderwick Chronicles Show Different from the $164M Movie That Failed to Get a Sequel
Fans across the globe know the ramifications of turning a great story into a movie and thus eliminating some of the best parts of the same. It happened when Avatar: The Last Airbender was made into a movie and we all know how that ended.
The iconic fantasy series The Spiderwick Chronicles was initially released as a movie and is now all set to premiere as a television series to enthrall fans as they journey back into the iconic land of mysteries and thrill. Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black have written the story together.
Variations Between The Spiderwick Chronicles Show and Movie
Back in 2008, The Spiderwick Chronicles movie was released and gave us a glimpse into the magical reality of the estate where so many mystical creatures surround the place. The movie tickled the imagination of many viewers as they were transported to a world where anything was possible. Headlined by Freddie Highmore, the movie went on to collect over $164 million at the box office.
Now, the overarching story may remain the same, but having a television series gives the creators more creative freedom to play with storylines and develop characters further. Helmed by Aron Eli Coleite, the show promises a deeper insight into the main character Jared Grace along with more focus on underlining themes like mental health and struggling with inner conflict. He explained the variations in a conversation with ScreenRant,
“I mean, there’s a number of different things. I think the first one is we always intended to age it up, and in aging it up, we could talk about — all the issues that we talked about within the series are in the DNA of the books. And it was one of the things that in rereading the book when I was preparing to do the adaptation, Jared’s mental health issues, his anxiety, his depression really came to the forefront, and I wanted to have a venue to be able to talk about it, and not like directly, but also through allegory, and talk about what it means to be perceived as somebody who’s monstrous, and what that does.”
Given Jared’s advanced age in the show, it lets the creator run with more mature storylines that can be relevant to the young adults of today. The movie, while interesting in its own right, primarily intrigued its niche audience which consisted of kids. A primary reason for this, as Coleite explained, is his own kids going through similar mental health problems during the pandemic. Thus, he decided to set out to tailor the story accordingly and speak to a wider viewership.
Are More Seasons in Store for The Spiderwick Chronicles?
The movie, albeit successful, could not spark the hopes for a franchise for the studio. However, looking at the thought that has gone into making the show, the creators are hoping for it to reach a wider target audience and resonate with the masses. This could prove greatly beneficial for the show as it will create more demand for more seasons.
On the other hand, there’s one more reason for high expectations from The Spiderwick Chronicles series – the involvement of the authors of the books. This makes a huge difference as it ensures the adaptation stays true to the source material and even if it deviates, the authors can make it seem authentic and well-planned.
The Spiderwick Chronicles is streaming on the Roku Channel.
