Erik Per Sullivan declined 'Malcolm in the Middle' return despite 'buckets of money'

The Malcolm in the Middle reboot is moving forward without original cast member Erik Per Sullivan, who reportedly declined a significant financial offer to reprise his role as Dewey.

Sullivan, now 34, chose not to return for the Disney+ revival despite being offered “buckets of money,” according to his former co-star Jane Kaczmarek.

The actor, who played Malcolm’s younger brother throughout the original series from 2000 to 2006, has stepped away from acting in recent years.

“He’s studying Dickens and is an incredible student,” Kaczmarek said. “They offered him buckets of money to come back, and he just said, ‘No thank you.’”

Instead of returning to the screen, Sullivan has focused on academics and is pursuing a master’s degree in Victorian literature at Harvard. He has largely remained out of the public eye since his last acting role in 2010.

The reboot, titled Life’s Still Unfair, will consist of four episodes and will see Frankie Muniz return as Malcolm, alongside Bryan Cranston and Kaczmarek as his parents, Hal and Lois.

Chris Masterson and Justin Berfield are also set to reprise their roles as Francis and Reese. The storyline follows an adult Malcolm navigating life while raising a daughter.

Muniz previously addressed Sullivan’s absence, stating that the decision was respected by the cast. “He made the decision that he didn’t want to get back into it — which we completely respect,” Muniz said. He added that Sullivan had given his approval for the role to be recast.

“We had his blessing from day one to have the role be in the show and recast it,” Muniz said.

Actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark has been cast to play Dewey in the reboot. Discussions about reviving the series had reportedly been ongoing for more than a decade before production moved forward.