Family reunion — minus one.
Erik Per Sullivan decided not to reprise his role as Dewey in the upcoming “Malcolm in the Middle” revival, which didn’t come as a shock to his former TV brother, Frankie Muniz.
“He’s very happy in the life that he’s created outside of the entertainment world,” Muniz, 39, exclusively told The Post while promoting his partnership with Autotrader and the Fasterclass campaign. “And he made the decision that he didn’t want to get back into it — which we completely respect.”
Muniz said that the rest of the cast — including his TV parents, Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek — did not want to “force” Per Sullivan, 34, “to do something he didn’t want to do.”
“We had his blessing from day one to have the role be in the show and recast it,” the former child star added. “So I hope people aren’t too upset that he didn’t come back, but it was by his choice.”
Per Sullivan quit Hollywood after starring in the beloved sitcom from 2000 to 2006.
“Fargo” and “The Expanse” star Caleb Ellsworth-Clark is taking over the role of Dewey in Disney’s upcoming revival, set to premiere in 2026.
“We started talking about doing the reboot over ten years ago,” Muniz told The Post. “And then Bryan Cranston really kind of took the lead in pushing it. But early on, we sent out an email, me and Bryan, to everybody kind of saying like, ‘Hey, if this happened, would you guys be interested?’ Just to gauge.”
“And we knew early on that Erik was not going to be apart of it,” Muniz added.
But Muniz said that reuniting with the rest of the cast felt like a dream come true.
“It was as if not time had passed — for everybody,” he said. “Justin [Berfield], who plays Reece, he’s been out of the acting world for years. But he was right in back into the character. Obviously Bryan Cranston is Bryan Cranston — probably one of the greatest actors ever. Jane. Everybody just fell right back into it.”
Like Per Sullivan, Muniz walked away from acting after “Malcolm in the Middle” to become a professional race car driver.
“I had only acted since I was eight. So eight to 22. It’s all I knew,” the “Agent Cody Banks” star recalled. “I loved it — but I also knew that I wanted to try something else. So when I had that opportunity, I remember telling my agents and managers at the time, I was like, ‘I really don’t care what comes in, I don’t care what the offers are. I really want to focus on this.”
Muniz’s decision paid off when he made his NASCAR debut in 2023. But after filming the “Malcolm in the Middle” revival, he has a newfound love for acting again.
“It’s rare that you get another chance at something, right?” he said. “Also to be 20 years later and know the impact that the show had on people all around the world. You go into it with a greater appreciation, but also know that people are really going to love it.”
“Normally when you make a movie or TV show, you don’t know if people are going to like it or if it’s going to be good,” Muniz continued. “So I think we made a show that people are going to love.”
