ABC confirmed it cast Elisha "EJ" Williams as the new star of The Wonder Years.
The Wonder Years revival will center on a Black middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama, in the late '60s, amidst the American Civil Rights Movement. Williams will portray a 12-year-old boy named Dean, described as "inquisitive and hopeful," according to Variety.
The character Dean will be comparable to Kevin Arnold -- the young boy played by Fred Savage on the original Wonder Years series from the '80s. In addition to directing the pilot episode of the series reboot, and serving as an executive producer, Savage recently had the privilege of breaking the casting news to Williams via Zoom.
In the clip posted on YouTube, Savage told Williams, "We wanted to welcome you to the family and tell you that is your turn to be the star of The Wonder Years. It's your part, man."
Williams most recently voiced the character of Bingo in the Disney Jr. animated series Puppy Dog Pals. He also starred as Zed in 2019's Henry Danger and its 2020 sequel Danger Force, as well as EJ in 3… 2… Wonder! (2019).
The Wonder Years aired for six seasons from 1988-1993 and also starred Danica McKeller as Kevin's love interest Gwendolyn "Winnie" Cooper, Josh Saviano as Kevin's best friend Paul Joshua Pfeiffer, Jason Harvey as Kevin's brother Wayne Arnold and Dan Lauria as Kevin's dad John "Jack" Arnold. During its initial run, The Wonder Years received a Peabody Award, multiple Humanitas Prizes, four Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.
Empire creator Lee Daniels will serve as the series showrunner alongside Marc Velez. Saladin K. Patterson will write and also executive produce the series. Original Wonder Years co-creator Neal Marlens will also serve as a consultant.
The Wonder Years is among a handful of classic series being revived for a new generation. STARZ recently announced it's developing a revival of the cult comedy series Party Down, which aired in the late 2000s. Disney+ also recently shared the first look at its revival of the animated series The Proud Family, titled Prouder Family: Prouder and Louder. Neither revivals have received a premiere date at the time of this writing.
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