The noughties television show, Malcolm in the Middle, will be returning to the screen after two decades, and thanks to the Dewey everybody knows turning his old role down, the show will not be quite the same.
This titbit of information was leaked by Breaking Bad alum, Bryan Cranston, in an interview when he recalled a recent conversation he had with his former cast member Erik Per Sullivan.
He told Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall that Sullivan, now 33, was no longer his kind of normal as he had ditched his career on the big screen altogether.
As a result, his character will be filled by stage and screen actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.
Sullivan told Cranston that he was not into it
“I talked to Erik and I said, ‘hey, we got the show! It’s going to come back’,” 69-year-old Cranston explained.
“He goes, ‘oh, that’s fantastic!’, and I go, ‘yeah, so we’re looking forward to having you back’. He goes, ‘oh, no, no, I don’t want to do it. But it’s fantastic’.”
When Spade interrupted, saying that Sullivan had become a “normal person now,” Cranston rejected the idea, suggesting that his former colleague was anything but average.
“Well, I don’t think… he’s not normal, because he’s really not in my circle [of] normal… he’s really, really smart,” the actor said.
Cranston recalls Sullivan’s reaction as being, “God no, I haven’t acted since I was nine or something, so I’m not into it’”
But this was not the only reason.
The 33-year-old is currently working on his masters
Jane Kaczmarek, Sullivan’s former onscreen mother who filled the role of Lois, explained in 2024 that Sullivan was doing well—more so for his decision to leave acting.
She went on to say that Sullivan had not acted in 14 years. “He wasn’t interested in acting, at all,” BBC quoted her saying.
She further noted that she admired Sullivan’s choices, because while many “people think being in show business is the greatest thing in the world. It’s not for everyone.”
She hinted that the former actor was studying Victorian literature at what she called “a very prestigious American university.”
Cranston underscored this statement when he told Spader, “he’s actually going to Harvard,” and then, “I think he’s getting his masters at Harvard right now.”
Sullivan is the only actor that will be swapped out
Along with Kaczmarek and Cranston taking in their roles as mother and father, other familiar faces that can be expected on the show that is expected to premiere before the end of 2025, include Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield
The two will reprise their old roles of brothers Francis and Reese, respectively, while Anthony Timpano who shared the role of Jamie, the youngest onscreen sibling, with identical twins James and Lukas Rodriguez fill the character full time.
Frankie Muniz will be the titular character Malcom around whom the show revolves, and the void left by Sullivan will be filled by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark, a Canadian national best known for his roles in Fargo (2014) and The Thicket (2024).
The reboot occurred at Vancouver Studios in British Columbia, Canada and Muniz confirmed as much in an April 12 Instagram update.
His departure from the cast has since triggered a social media divide
One user who believed the the mere sight of Sullivan in the reboot vented their disappointment by saying:
“Lil rat. One cameo for 5 minutes would heal a little of my inner child. Aww.”
Another was a bit more philosophical in their remarks when they wrote: “It’s crazy how some people just disappear from the spotlight after a big show.
Do you think it’s because of the pressure of fame, or do you feel like he just wanted a normal life?”
Responding to a recent image of Sullivan, one netizen noted that his new look was congruent with his life choices.
“He actually looks like a Harvard professor now,” they wrote.
Some think Sullivan’s departure from the spotlight has something to do with the pressure
