News
«The Wonder Years» news hot of the presses!
A New «The Wonder Years» Series is in production! It will start airing on the US-American network ABC in fall 2021. We are dedicated to bring you all the news about the new series.
What is the new show all about? | Producing the Pilot | What the Stars of the Original Series are saying
What is the new show all about?
In July 2020, news broke that famed director Lee Daniels and Kevin-Arnold-actor Fred Savage plan a new version of the beloved TV show «The Wonder Years». And on May 14, 2021, ABC officially announced the new series.
According to ABC, the coming-of-age story set in the late 1960s takes a nostalgic look at the Williamses, a black middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama, through the point of view of imaginative 12-year-old Dean. With the wisdom of his adult years, Dean's hopeful and humorous recollections show how his family found their «wonder years» in a turbulent time.
The New «The Wonder Years» Series stars Don Cheadle, narrating the series as Adult Dean Williams, Elisha «EJ» Williams as Dean Williams, Dulé Hill as Bill Williams, Saycon Sengbloh as Lillian Williams, Laura Kariuki as Kim Williams, Julian Lerner as Brad Hitman, Amari O'Neil as Cory Long and Milan Ray as Keisa Clemmons. Read more about the cast.
Saladin K. Patterson serves as writer and executive producer. Lee Daniels and Marc Velez of Lee Daniels Entertainment also executive produce along with original series star, Fred Savage. The original series co-creator Neal Marlens is attached to the project as a consultant. The pilot episode was written by Saladin Patterson and directed by Fred Savage. The new series is produced by Disney-owned 20th Television.
Producing the Pilot
Filming for the pilot episode took place in April 2021.
The cast and crew are busy posting pictures on Instagram. Here's a small selection:
Fred Savage and EJ Williams also shared a first behind the scenes video from filming the pilot episode.
Post-production was finished soon after and the pilot was then submitted to ABC. While we already know that the series was green-lit by ABC, we are still waiting for more details. According to Deadline, ABC will announce its 2021 fall schedule on Tuesday, May 18. Then we will hopefully know more.
What the Stars of the Original Series are saying
TWY stars Danica McKellar (Winnie Cooper) and Dan Lauria (Jack Arnold) welcomed the news of a reboot on Twitter.
McKellar wrote: «Fred emailed me last night to share the news! ❤ I can't wait to see what he & @leedanielsent create. I have no doubt it will both honor the original show & do justice to the realities of growing up black in 1960's».
Fred emailed me last night to share the news! ❤
— Danica McKellar (@danicamckellar) July 8, 2020
I can't wait to see what he & @leedanielsent create. I have no doubt it will both honor the original show & do justice to the realities of growing up black in 1960's. #TheWonderYears #TheWonderYearsReboothttps://t.co/mio5tQDo9C pic.twitter.com/fsHxFN9zbw
Lauria commented: «It’s about time they try to tell a realistic story of a black child growing up during the 60’s & 70’s. I hope it sheds light on our current society - from civil rights through the Vietnam war- and now Black Lives Matter - hope this show makes a difference.»
It’s about time they try to tell a realistic story of a black child growing up during the 60’s & 70’s. I hope it sheds light on our current society - from civil rights through the Vietnam war- and now Black Lives Matter - hope this show makes a difference. #TheWonderYears pic.twitter.com/3BwWeUKhgS
— Dan Lauria (@realdanlauria) July 9, 2020