Bryan Cranston shares why TV son Erik Per Sullivan turned down Malcolm in the Middle revival

After nearly two decades off the air, Bryan Cranston was thrilled to be reunited with his Malcolm in the Middle family for a revival series. However, the fact that the entire group was unable to return made it a bittersweet reunion. On the the latest episode of the Fly on the Wall podcast, the actor opened up about the upcoming Disney+ project, telling hosts Dana Carvey and David Spade, “It's amazing how these boys who were my boys on that show are now around the same age I was when we first started, and they've got children of their own.”
Cranston lamented that “the only one who didn't come back to act in the show” when Spade inquired about Erik Per Sullivan, who played Dewey, Malcolm's youngest son. He added, “I talked to Erik and I said, ‘Hey, we got the show! It is going to return.' He goes, ‘Oh, that's fantastic!' “Yeah, so we're looking forward to having you back,” I respond. He goes, ‘Oh, no, no, I don't want to do it. But it's fantastic.'”
Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield are back in the “Malcolm in the Middle” revival, and another crucial role is recast. “Until he said, ‘I've got an idea,' I just started wearing him down. Cranston jokingly stated, “Good.” In the beginning of this year, it was established that Muniz, Masterson, and Berfield would return as brothers Malcolm, Francis, and Reese. The role of Dewey will now be played by Wynonna Earp alum Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.
Even though he now considers Malcolm to be “the worst character on that show,” Titular star Muniz admitted to being “really excited” for fans to finally catch up with their favorite TV family. In April, he posted a photo of himself smiling giddily with Cranston and Kaczmarek, which piqued the interest of viewers eager to see how the revival would develop.