ABC's 'Wonder Years' Reboot Gets Its Narrator, and They're a Beloved Actor

ABC is currently developing a reboot of the classic sitcom The Wonder Years, and the series has now found its narrator. Deadline reports that Don Cheadle has been cast to narrate the show as the adult version of its main character, Dean Williams, much as the original show was narrated by the adult version of its lead. The reboot previously cast Elisha "EJ" Williams as younger Dean.

Dean is described as "an inquisitive and hopeful 12-year-old who's coming of age in a turbulent time and trying to figure out his place both within his family and in the larger world. Dean is a little insecure, a tad awkward and a bit self-conscious, but he is determined to make his mark on the world around him." The original series starred Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold while Daniel Stern provided the voice of adult Kevin.

Other cast members announced for the reboot include Saycon Sengbloh as Dean's mom, Lillian, Dulé Hill as his father and Laura Kariuki as Kim Williams, Dean's teenage sister. The new show will be set in the '60s like its source material and will be centered on a Black family in Montgomery, Alabama. The reboot comes from writer Saladin K. Patterson and executive producer Lee Daniels.

Williams' casting was announced earlier this month, and the show shared a video of Savage surprising him with the news on a Zoom call. "This project is very close to all of our hearts," Savage told the young actor. "It just means so much to everyone who's involved. "[Patterson] is writing about his own experiences, and I've been connected to this show for like 30 years. When I was your age, I played, it was Kevin then, but it was the Dean part on The Wonder Years. So all of us are just so invested, and it means so much to us, which is why all these things are taking time, and we're just pouring so much into it, as I know you are."

"We got you on this Zoom because we wanted to welcome you to the family and tell you that it's your turn to be the star of The Wonder Years," he continued as Williams put his hands over his face and exclaimed, "Oh my God." "Thank you," he replied before lamenting the pitfalls of Zoom. "I would be enjoying this a whole lot more if you did not just lag," he said. "It lagged just a little bit."