Devon Bostick
Canadian actor (born 1991)
Devon Bostick (born November 13, 1991) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his main role as Rodrick Heffley in the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" film series (2010–2012). His other lead roles include "Adoration" (2008), "Dead Before Dawn 3D" (2012), "Okja" (2017), and "Tuscaloosa" (2019). Bostick has also had a number of supporting roles in films such as "Godsend" (2004), "Saw VI" (2009), "The Art of the Steal" (2013), "Regression" (2015), "Words on Bathroom Walls" (2020), and "Oppenheimer" (2023).
In television, Bostick is known for his main role as Jasper Jordan on the CW science fiction series "The 100" (2014–2017). He has also had recurring roles as Leo Strange in the CBC series "Being Erica" (2009–2011), Green on the Quibi series "Most Dangerous Game" (2020), and Oscar on the Netflix series "FUBAR" (2023).
Early life and education.
Bostick was born in Toronto, Ontario. His mother, Stephanie Gorin, is a casting director in Toronto, who works on stage and screen and his father, Joe Bostick, is an actor as well as a film fight coordinator.
Bostick is of British and Norwegian descent. He began acting in the fifth grade and is a graduate of the Etobicoke School of the Arts in Toronto.
Career.
Bostick has had roles in the television series "", "Flashpoint" and in the film "Citizen Duane", and appeared in the series premiere of "Rookie Blue". His film work has included roles in "Godsend", "Fugitive Pieces" and "The Stone Angel".
In "Adoration" (2008), Bostick played Simon, a boy who being raised by his uncle (played by Scott Speedman) after his parents' death. He also appeared in an online spoof trailer for a hoax movie called "Ice Fortress." He had roles in "The Poet", a World War II drama starring Roy Scheider and Colm Feore, "Saw VI" as Brent and "" as Ezio Auditore.
Bostick also played Erica's deceased brother Leo in CBC Television's series "Being Erica", and Rodrick Heffley in the movies of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". He played Alan in three episodes of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel". In "Oppenheimer" (2023), Bostick played Seth Neddermeyer, a physicist who worked at Los Alamos Laboratory during the Manhattan Project and suggested the use of an implosion-type nuclear weapon in the Trinity Test.
References.
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film series)
Family comedy film series
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a series of family comedy films based on the book series of the same name by Jeff Kinney. It consists of four live action films and three animated films.
Films.
Live-action films.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (2010).
Principal production began on August 12, 2009, and was completed on October 16, 2009. The film was directed by Thor Freudenthal and starred Zachary Gordon as Greg Heffley, Robert Capron as Rowley Jefferson, Rachael Harris as Susan Heffley, Steve Zahn as Frank Heffley, Devon Bostick as Rodrick Heffley, Connor and Owen Fielding as Manny Heffley, Chloë Grace Moretz as Angie Steadman, Grayson Russell as Fregley, Laine MacNeil as Patty Farrell, and Karan Brar as Chirag Gupta. It was the only film in the series to be directed by Freudenthal. The musical score was composed by Theodore Shapiro. It received mixed reviews from critics. It was released on March 19, 2010, as it moved up from a previously scheduled April 2 release date.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" (2011).
Based on the second book, "Rodrick Rules", with elements from "The Last Straw". Principal photography began on August 23, 2010, and was completed on October 27, 2010, with filming taking place in Vancouver and New Westminster. The film was directed by David Bowers, with Zachary Gordon reprising his role as Greg Heffley. New main characters include Holly Hills (Peyton List), Grandpa (Terence Kelly), and Bill Walter (Fran Kranz). Edward Shearmur composes the original score for the film. It also received mixed reviews from critics. It was released on March 25, 2011.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" (2012).
Based on the third book "The Last Straw" and the fourth book "Dog Days", the film was directed by David Bowers and features the same familiar cast of characters, introducing a few new ones, and also focusing on lesser characters not elaborated on in previous films, including Frank Heffley (Steve Zahn), Mr. Jefferson (Alf Humphreys) and Holly Hills (Peyton List). The film is the last one to feature the original cast, as they had outgrown their roles after filming wrapped. It also received mixed reviews from critics. It was released on August 3, 2012.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul" (2017).
Featuring an entirely new cast, the plot follows Greg and his brother, Rodrick, unwillingly being taken on a family road trip to their great-grandmother's house for her 90th birthday party. Greg sees this as an opportunity to meet his Internet idol, Mac Digby, and get people to forget about him being dubbed as a meme known as "Diaper Hands". The film was panned by critics and audiences, with most of the criticism aimed at the casting change. It was released on May 19, 2017.
Animated reboot films.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (2021).
In August 2018, 20th Century Fox CEO Stacey Snider announced that a fully animated television series based on "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" was in development. On August 6, 2019, after the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the project was confirmed to be still in development for their streaming service, Disney+.
In December 2020, the project was confirmed to have been redeveloped as an animated film. On September 2, 2021, Disney officially confirmed that the new movie would be simply titled "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", and would be released on December 3, 2021. The movie is a re-adaptation of the first book and the characters appear similar in design to their appearances in the book series. The first trailer was officially released in October 2021. Unlike the previous films, which were produced by 20th Century Fox, this film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures, although it was originally in production at 20th Century Animation.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" (2022).
On October 23, 2021, ahead of the first film's release, Jeff Kinney revealed that sequels are already in development. For Disney+ Day, Kinney revealed that the sequel, based on "", was released on December 2, 2022. Unlike the first animated film, a copyright notice at the end of the trailer indicates that 20th Century Studios has involvement in the film.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever" (2023).
On September 8, 2023, it was announced that a Disney+ film based on the sixth book, "Cabin Fever", released on December 8, 2023.
Future.
Jeff Kinney stated that he intends to adapt all books into animated features for Disney+. An animated film based on "The Last Straw" is currently in development.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Class Clown" short film.
An animated short film set after the events of the third film, titled "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Class Clown", was included on the home media release of "Dog Days" in 2012. The short is told through Greg's point-of-view as he explains his humorous experience and why he deserves the title of Class Clown. Zachary Gordon reprises his role as Greg Heffley along with other cast members voicing their characters from the films in minor roles.
Canceled TV special.
In 2012, Jeff Kinney, the author of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books, announced the possibility for an animated film to be based on ' as the next installment. In an interview for ', Kinney stated he was working with FOX on a half-hour special based on "Cabin Fever", which was scheduled to air in late-2014. The special was meant to be an animated production developed at 20th Century Fox Animation, and had begun development while Kinney worked on the live-action films. Nothing regarding the special ever materialized. A separate adaptation was eventually released in 2023 as "".
Recurring cast and characters.
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List indicators
This section includes .* An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.*  E indicates an appearance not included in the theatrical cut.*  O indicates an older version of the character.*  U indicates an uncredited appearance.*  V indicates a voice-only role.*  Y indicates a younger version of the character.
References.
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021 film)
2021 film by Swinton Scott
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2021 animated comedy film directed by Swinton Scott (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Jeff Kinney, based on his 2007 book of the same name. It is the second film adaptation of the book, following the 2010 live-action film, while serving as the first fully animated reboot in the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" film series, and the fifth installment overall. The film stars the voices of Brady Noon, Ethan William Childress, Chris Diamantopoulos, Erica Cerra, and Hunter Dillon.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" was produced by Walt Disney Studios and Bardel Entertainment, with the latter providing animation services, and was released on Disney+ as a Disney+ original film on December 3, 2021. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
A sequel, "", was released on December 2, 2022.
Plot.
Best friends Greg Heffley and Rowley Jefferson are about to enter middle school. Greg gets advice from his older brother Rodrick on how to "survive", putting emphasis on avoiding the Cheese Touch, which supposedly makes one incredibly unpopular. Figuring that Rowley's childish tendencies will cause them to be bullied, Greg tries to urge Rowley to grow up, almost telling him about the cheese, but deciding against it, not wanting to scare him too much. Before long, the first day of school arrives, and Greg tries to help Rowley adjust, though both end up shunned by the majority of the students, mostly due to Rowley's somewhat childish antics, which include using the word "play" over "hang out". Nevertheless, they manage to avoid scraping the bottom of the school hierarchy.
On Halloween night, Greg and Rowley are forced to take the former's younger brother Manny with them. While at first annoyed, Greg realizes that Manny's adorable pirate costume allows them to acquire a large amount of candy. Eventually, Manny and Rowley become tired, but Greg insists that they continue on and take a shortcut through Snake Road, despite his mother Susan forbidding it. They encounter a trio of teenage boys who begin to mock and chase them with water balloons down the road. The younger boys manage to evade them by tricking them into driving their truck into a ditch and making it home right on time, only to be soaked by Greg's father Frank, who mistook them for teenagers. Manny then outs "Snake Road" to Susan, who grounds Greg from playing video games for a week.
Later on, while playing the "Rumble Trike", Greg accidentally breaks Rowley's arm. Susan discovers this but chooses not to punish Greg any further. Instead, she encourages him do the right thing and be a good friend to Rowley. Greg instead tries to take advantage of Rowley's broken arm, only to get shunned further by the other students, who dote on Rowley and demonize Greg for breaking it in the first place. Greg attempts to take a different approach and become a cartoonist for the school paper; Rowley takes an interest in a scrapped idea of his, in which the punchline of every line is "Zoo-Wee Mama!", but Greg insists on a new one he drew, urging Rowley to make his own comic instead of working together. Greg's entry gets him accepted as the new cartoonist, but the librarian butchers his comic, making his classmates mock him. After Greg resigns from his position, Rowley's comic, which features the stolen phrase, gets accepted, causing the boys to argue and break their friendship.
Rowley befriends a boy named Chirag Gupta and starts seeing him more often. In an attempt to get back at him, Greg decides to hang out with Fregley, an incredibly strange and unpopular boy. Greg has a sleepover at his house but is immediately put off by his odd eccentricities. The next day, Greg and Rowley confront each other and are urged to fight by the other kids, only for the trio of teenagers to return to get revenge on the boys. The teenagers force Rowley to eat a piece of the cheese and are about to force Greg to do the same, but are saved by Mr. Underwood, the school's gym coach.
The other students return to see what has transpired. To protect Rowley, Greg claims that "he" was the one who ate the cheese, causing everyone else to run from him in terror. Greg and Rowley resume their friendship as the former quickly realizes that having the Cheese Touch is a blessing as it forces everyone to give him and Rowley space, as well as a personal lunch table to themselves.
Production.
Development.
Following the release of ', the likelihood of a fourth live-action film was slim. In 2012, Jeff Kinney, the author of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books, had announced the possibility for an animated film to be based on "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever" as the next installment. In an interview for ', Kinney stated he was working with Fox on a half-hour special based on "Cabin Fever", which was scheduled to air in late-2014. The special was meant to be an animated production developed at 20th Century Fox Animation, and had begun development while Kinney worked on the live-action films. However, the project never came to fruition.
In August 2018, CEO of 20th Century Fox Stacey Snider stated that an animated television series based on "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" was in development, after Kinney decided not to allow any more live action adaptations of the series following the film adaptation of "". In August 2019, after the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the project was confirmed to be still in development exclusively for streaming on Disney+.
In December 2020, the project was confirmed to have been redeveloped as an animated reboot feature film simply titled, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" at the Disney Investor Day event. Alongside this announcement, it was revealed that production was underway with a tentative release date slated for mid-2021. By September 2021, it was announced that the film would be an adaptation of the first book in the series; while the film was scheduled for a December 3, 2021 release date. Swinton Scott was announced as director, with Kinney serving as the writer and producer. Brady Noon, Ethan William Childress, and Chris Diamantopoulos were revealed as the voice cast.
Animation.
The animation was provided by Bardel Entertainment, with offices in Vancouver and Kelowna composed by a team of 82 people all using the animation rendering software Arnold. Kinney chose to use CGI in spite of the book's hand-drawn-style drawing because he wanted the animation to "feel like the books had come to life". Pixar RenderMan was also used for the film.
Music.
On September 23, 2021, it was revealed that John Paesano would be serving as composer. The soundtrack was released on December 17, 2021.
All music composed by Paesano:
Release.
Marketing.
The first look of the film was shown on December 10, 2020, at Disney's Investor Day, depicting Greg trying to roll a large snowball up a hill, only to roll down the hill with it. This would not be used in the film itself. The teaser poster was revealed on September 2, 2021 (the same day the release date was announced). The film was marketed under the Disney brand, leading to speculation that Walt Disney Pictures was involved in the film, which turned out to be true when the film was released. The trailer was released on October 19, 2021, by Walt Disney Studios' YouTube channel (the YouTube channel for Walt Disney Pictures), further increasing speculation. Additionally, the song "Bring Your Friends" by Sam Shrieve was heavily used in the film's marketing campaign but was not featured in the film itself.
A reprint of the original book featured a new Disney+ cover variant to serve as a tie-in release to the movie (this book featured a first look at Rowley Jefferson in his CG-animated form). Like the original book, Amulet Books released the book, but this time, in association with Disney Enterprises, Inc. and 20th Century Studios. It was released on November 23, 2021.
Streaming.
The film was released by Disney Platform Distribution, as a Disney+ original film, on Disney+, on December 3, 2021. However, the film was released on the service under Walt Disney Pictures instead of 20th Century Studios. It was moved from 20th Century Studios and 20th Century Animation to Walt Disney Pictures sometime during production for unknown reasons.
Reception.
Critical reception.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, of 16 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.50/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the a score of 50 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating .
Courtney Howard of "Variety" gave the film a positive review, saying, "Similar to its 2010 counterpart, this animated reboot amusingly tackles universal aspects of adolescence like first-day jitters, the fleeting nature of popularity, navigating cafeteria social hierarchies and the frustrations of not fitting in. [...] With this notable sense of visual dexterity and stirring sentiments surrounding friendship and individuality that don’t come across as hollow platitudes, the brisk 56-minute feature is yet another noteworthy start to a burgeoning franchise reboot." Nicolas Rapold of "The New York Times" complimented the animation, found the misadventures experienced by the characters to be good-humored and believed that the film manages to explore how friendship can evolve. John Serba of "Decider" found the movie entertaining and lively, complimented the depiction of teachable moments, and compared Greg to Homer Simpson, describing him as a reliable anti-role model. Jennifer Green of "Common Sense Media" rated the movie 3 out of 5 stars, complimented the depiction of positive messages, citing self-authenticity and true friendship, and found agreeable the presence of role models, stating both Greg and Rowley demonstrate loyalty.
Jesse Hassenger of "The A.V. Club" gave the movie a mixed review, writing, "On that level, the new version of Wimpy Kid has its moments. It bounces between vignettes, some amusing and some choppily edited, testing the mettle of Heffley and his optimistic best pal Rowley (Ethan William Childress), perhaps Kinney’s most durable creation. [...] Even if their minds wander, most grown-ups probably won’t be as bored as the actors playing Heffley’s parents' sound; they both give oddly flat and colorless vocal performances. It’s these hints of indifference that make "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid" feels like a contractual obligation, or a cobbling together of streaming content, rather than the start of a new series." Sarah Bea Milner of "Screen Rant" rated the movie 1.5 out of 5, stating, "Existing fans of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" franchise will at least get some enjoyment from watching such a faithful adaptation. [...] Perhaps 2021's animated reboot can serve as a cautionary tale for the industry: being a good writer does not make one a good screenwriter and sometimes the best way to stay faithful to the spirit of a book is to have a competent and experienced professional write the adaptation."
Accolades.
Jessica Mikayla received a nomination for Best Performance in a Voice Acting Role: Youth Actress at the 2022 Young Artist Awards. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" was a nominated for Best Animation TrailerByte for a Feature Film at the 2022 Golden Trailer Awards.
Future.
Sequel.
On October 23, 2021, ahead of the first film's release, Jeff Kinney revealed that sequels are already in development. On Disney+ Day, Kinney revealed that the sequel, based on "Rodrick Rules", would be released in 2022. In March 2022, composer John Paesano confirmed that he would return to score the film's music. A poster for the film was released on September 12, 2022, announcing the film's release date of December 2, 2022.
Kinney stated that he intends to adapt all his books into animated features for Disney+.
References.
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010 film)
2010 film by Thor Freudenthal
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Thor Freudenthal and based on Jeff Kinney's 2007 book of the same name. The film stars Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn, and Chloë Grace Moretz.
20th Century Fox released the film theatrically in the United States on March 19, 2010, receiving mixed reviews from critics and grossing $76 million worldwide against a $15 million budget.
The film spawned a film franchise and was followed by three sequels: ' (2011), ' (2012), and ' (2017). An animated reboot of the same name was released in 2021, which was followed by two sequels of its own: a (2022) and ' (2023). A book detailing the film's creation process, titled "The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary", was released on March 16, 2010.
Plot.
Preteen Greg Heffley illustrates his daily life in a diary. He says he is writing in one for when he is "rich and famous", but is in middle school for now. Greg lives with his parents, Susan and Frank, his spoiled younger brother, Manny, and his older brother, Rodrick, who torments Greg. On Greg's first day of middle school, he quickly discovers the ups and downs, such as the missing stall doors in the boys' bathroom and the difficulties of obtaining a seat during lunch. During physical education, Greg and his childish best friend, Rowley Jefferson, escape from a game of Gladiator and meet Angie Steadman, a seventh-grader who isolates herself from the other students to "survive". They also notice a moldy piece of cheese on the basketball court. When Greg almost touches it, their friend, Chirag Gupta, tells them that whoever touches it gets "The Cheese Touch", where they become a social outcast due to everyone being disgusted by that person because they touched the cheese, and that the only way to get rid of "The Cheese Touch" is to pass it on to someone else by touching them. Greg states his intention of becoming the most popular student in school, as well as earning a place in the school yearbook as a class favorite, only for several of his attempts to fail.
On Halloween, when Greg and Rowley go out trick-or-treating, a group of teenage boys drive by in a pickup truck, and spray a fire extinguisher at them. When Greg threatens to call the police, the boys chase him and Rowley to Greg's grandmother's house, but the latter two escape them after Greg accidentally damages their truck with a weed eater.
The boys join the Safety Patrol team at school in another effort to become popular and try out for a contest that offers a student a chance to become the cartoonist for the school paper. When Greg accidentally breaks Rowley's arm, during a dangerous game the duo invented, Rowley becomes extremely popular and wins the cartoonist contest, making Greg envious of him. During a Safety Patrol assignment, Greg walks kindergartners down a neighborhood street without Rowley, but panics when he encounters a truck identical to the teenagers' from Halloween and hides himself and the kids in a construction zone. He is then confronted by a neighbor who mistakes him for Rowley, having borrowed Rowley's coat, forcing him to abandon the kindergarteners and flee. To his bewilderment, Rowley is suspended from Safety Patrol, but Greg eventually confesses his guilt to him, foolishly offering it as a joke and saying that they could both learn "lessons" from the incident. Distraught and angered over Greg's mistreatment of him, Rowley ends their friendship. When the truth soon comes to light, Greg is fired from the service while Rowley is reinstated as captain and befriends their classmate, Collin, who replaces Greg as Rowley's best friend. Greg attempts to pursue popularity without Rowley, but those efforts also fail. Greg tries to reconcile with Rowley while attending the Mother and Son Sweetheart Dance at his school with Susan, but lies to Rowley about missing him when he notices he is with Collin.
One day after school, Greg and Rowley confront each other in rage and a circle of students encourages them to fight. However, neither of them are good at fighting. The teenagers from Halloween arrive at the scene and force Rowley to eat part of the cheese after the other kids, except for Greg, are chased inside the school. They flee the scene when the school's physical education teacher, Coach Eduardo Malone, arrives, but when the other kids come back out and notice the cheese has been eaten, Greg takes the blame to save Rowley's reputation, and they reconcile. At the end of the school year, Greg and Rowley make the yearbook class favorites page as "Cutest Friends".
Production.
An adaptation of the first "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" novel was announced in 2008, with Thor Freudenthal signing on as director in December 2008. In July 2009, Zachary Gordon was cast in the lead role of Greg Heffley. Rachael Harris also signed on for the role of Susan Heffley, Greg's mother. In August 2009, Steve Zahn was cast as Frank Heffley, Greg's father. In the same month, Devon Bostick and Robert Capron were cast as Rodrick Heffley and Rowley Jefferson, respectively. Filming began on August 12, 2009.
Visual effects.
The mold for the Cheese was completely digital. Filmmakers left a real square of cheese outside for a few days inside a wire cage to keep animals out and sunlight in, and after this, a piece of cheese was made out of silicone and had mold effects added using CGI.
The animated sequences were not 2D animated, but in fact made with 3D animation. The animated sequences were first animated in 3D, and then rendered in a rough sketch shader to make them look 2D.
Release.
Tie-in book.
A tie-in book, written by Kinney, called "The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary", was published on March 16, 2010, by Amulet Books (an imprint of Abrams Books). It includes film stills, storyboards, preliminary concept drawings and also behind-the-scenes information to humorously chronicle the making of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", ', and '. It also includes some new illustrations.
Home media.
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 3, 2010. The Blu-ray version features six pages from Rowley's diary, "Diary of an Awesome, Friendly Kid". It was released on the streaming service Disney+ on November 12, 2019; its launch date.
Reception.
Critical response.
Review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 55% based on 106 reviews and an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Unlike its bestselling source material, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" fails to place a likable protagonist at the center of its middle-school humor – and its underlying message is drowned out as a result." It also holds a rating of 56 out of 100 at Metacritic, based on 26 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audience surveyed by CinemaScore gave this film an "A-."
Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, writing "It's nimble, bright and funny. It doesn't dumb down. It doesn't patronize. It knows something about human nature." Glenn Whipp of the "Associated Press" was less positive, saying, "In transferring the clean, precise humor of Kinney's illustrations and prose to the big-screen, the material loses just a bit of its charm." "At the Movies" host David Stratton gave the film one star while co-host Margaret Pomeranz gave it half a star. Stratton called the film "tiresome" and said there was "nothing remotely interesting in Thor Freudenthal's direction or the screenplay." Pomeranz disliked the character of Greg Heffley, saying "I really thought he was unpleasant. I did not want to spend time with him. I could not wait for the end of this film."
OregonLive.com gave the film a C+ grade, criticizing it for being "too often dull, unappealing and clumsy, hobbled by unnecessary changes and inventions that add no charm, energy or, truly, point."
Box office.
Despite a lack of distinctive marketing, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" drew a decent crowd, opening to $22.1 million on approximately 3,400 screens at 3,077 sites, in second place at the weekend box office behind "Alice in Wonderland" but beating out the heavily hyped "The Bounty Hunter". It was the biggest start ever for a non-animated, non-fantasy children's book adaptation. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" grossed more in its first three days than other film adaptions to children's novels like "How to Eat Fried Worms" and "Hoot" grossed in their entire runs. The film grossed $64,003,625 in North America and $11,696,873 in other territories for a worldwide total of $75,700,498.
Expanded franchise.
Sequels.
Three sequels were released in 2011, 2012 and 2017 respectively. ' was released on March 25, 2011. It was based on the second book in the series, '. Zachary Gordon reprised his role in the film. ' was released on August 3, 2012, and is based on ' and ', including scenes from both books. An animated short film, ', was released along with the DVD of "Dog Days". A film based on "" was released in May 2017 and features a new cast starring Jason Drucker, Alicia Silverstone, and Tom Everett Scott, but received generally negative reviews.
Animated reboot and sequels.
An animated reboot directed by Swinton Scott was released on Disney+ on December 3, 2021. Unlike the other films, this was the first "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" film to be animated fully in computer-generated imagery and features Greg and the characters in colors. Originally set as an adaptation of "" by Kinney, it was re-announced in 2018 as an animated series but switched to a CGI movie in 2019. It stars Brady Noon, Ethan William Childress, and Chris Diamantopoulos.
References.
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid (book)
2007 novel by Jeff Kinney
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a children's illustrated novel written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. The book is about a boy named Greg Heffley and his attempts to become popular in his first year of middle school.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" first appeared on FunBrain in 2004, where it was read 20 million times. The abridged hardcover adaptation was released on April 1, 2007. The book was named a "New York Times" bestseller, among other awards and received generally positive reviews. The book was adapted into a live action feature film, which released on March 19, 2010, and an animated film adaptation was released on Disney+ on December 3, 2021.
Plot.
The protagonist Greg Heffley, a student at Larry Mack Junior Middle School, writes a diary to detail his time "stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons" to a future audience reading when he is "rich and famous". Greg details the local myth surrounding a moldy piece of cheese that has been left at his school's basketball court for a long time. If someone touches the cheese, they have the curse-like "Cheese Touch" which makes them repellent to others; the victim is stuck with it until they pass it on by touching someone else. The last victim of the Cheese Touch has moved away to California, and Greg hopes nobody starts it up again.
Greg also talks about his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, characterizing him as immature or somewhat stupid, and that his [Greg's] ideas go "in one ear and out the other" with Rowley. At home, Greg is bullied by his older brother Rodrick, and resents his little brother, a toddler named Manny, who is spoiled and gets away with everything that Greg does not. Greg's father does not encourage his son's way of life—playing video games all day—and would rather Greg go outside and play sports.
Near Halloween, Greg writes that his father likes to hide in the bushes on Halloween night and drench teenagers that walk by their driveway with a trash can full of water. Greg and Rowley decide to make a haunted house after seeing the popularity of Crossland High School's haunted house, but they only end up profiting two dollars. On Halloween night, Greg and Rowley go trick-or-treating, but are challenged by a group of teenagers who spray them with a water-filled fire extinguisher. When they get home, they are soaked with a trash can full of water by Greg's father, who mistakes them for teenagers.
In Geography, Greg fails a test on state capitals after a girl named Patty Farrell reminds the teacher that he needs to cover the map of the United States that shows the state capitals. At home, Greg's mother forces him into auditioning for the school play (based on "The Wizard of Oz"). Greg lands the role of a tree, while Patty Farrell is cast as Dorothy, the protagonist of the novel. During the show's performance, Greg becomes too nervous to sing, confusing the other trees. Patty gets frustrated, and Greg starts throwing apples at her. The other trees join in, and the play eventually has to be shut down after Patty's glasses are broken. Greg's mother is disappointed, but Greg enjoyed getting back at Patty.
After getting bad presents for Christmas, Greg decides to play a game with Rowley in which Rowley must ride a Big Wheel down a hill while Greg tries to knock him off with a football. On one of Greg's tries, the ball goes under the front wheel, which causes Rowley to fall off and break his hand. When Rowley goes to school with a plaster cast, the girls take care of him (carrying his books, feeding him food), which makes Greg jealous.
Greg decides to join the Safety Patrols at his school, hoping that he will be able to control the other kids. He gets Rowley to sign up as well and enjoys the benefits of being a Safety Patrol, such as getting free hot chocolate. He tries to get a spot in the school's newspaper as a cartoonist and teams up with Rowley. Greg comes up with a strip called "Zoo-Wee Mama!", and he and Rowley produce a number of strips. Eventually, Greg starts wanting to do other strips, but Rowley wants to continue with "Zoo-Wee Mama!"; Greg submits his comics to the teacher and ends up getting the cartoonist job. However, the teacher completely changes Greg's comic, even making his character a "curious student" instead of a "cretin."
After an incident where Greg chases some kindergartners with a worm on a stick and is mistaken for Rowley, Rowley gets suspended from the Safety Patrols for a week. However, after it is cleared up that Greg was the real culprit, Rowley is reinstated and promoted while Greg is dismissed.
Greg notices that the school year is coming to a close and tries to get on the yearbook's Class Favorites page. He plans to go for "Class Clown," but his plans do not work out. At lunch, he gets an issue of the school newspaper and learns that Rowley is the new cartoonist, with his "Zoo-Wee Mama!" strip left completely unchanged.
Greg confronts Rowley for not even listing him as co-creator and hogging all the fame. Rowley retaliates by saying that the "Zoo-Wee Mama!" comic was his idea and that Greg "had nothing to do with it." As they argue, the teenagers who chased them at Halloween appear and force Greg and Rowley to eat the Cheese. Greg gets out of it by falsely claiming to be allergic to dairy, while Rowley is forced to eat the whole thing. The next day, when everyone notices that the Cheese is gone, Greg takes the fall for Rowley and lies by saying that he threw it away. Greg reconciles with Rowley and lets people think that he has the Cheese Touch.
The book concludes with Greg getting his yearbook, seeing Rowley on the "Class Clown" page, and throwing it in the garbage. This means Greg now has the Cheese Touch, which carries on into the next book.
Background.
In May 2004, FunBrain and Jeff Kinney released an online version of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". The website made daily entries from September of that year to June 2005. The online book became an instant hit, and had received approximately 20 million views by 2007. Many online readers requested a printed version. At the 2006 New York Comic Con Kinney proposed "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" to Charles Kochman, Editorial Director of the ComicArts division of Abrams Books, who purchased the rights to the book. According to Kochman, the two initially conceived it as a book for adults, believing it would appeal to audiences similar to that of the TV series "The Wonder Years". Kochman brought it before the Abrams publishing board, which convinced Kinney and Kochman that it would be better aimed toward children. In 2007, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", an abridged version of the original online book, was published.
Main characters.
The main character, Greg, has trouble with family, friends, and his local middle school. He is very concerned about how popular he is at school, and he daydreams a lot about being rich and famous when he grows up. He tries to fit in at his school, but usually he does not succeed. Facing many challenges, Greg attempts to handle them very creatively, but unfortunately his antics often backfire on him.
Greg's best friend has a larger than average frame. He is always willing to do what Greg tells him, including dangerous stunts. Rowley goes on vacations all the time, which annoys Greg. Rowley is a loyal friend, but he sometimes behaves in an immature or childish manner. He also dresses in an unusual way.
Greg's "spoiled" little brother, a three-year-old toddler. He never gets in trouble no matter what, even when he really deserves it. Manny is not yet potty trained.
Rodrick is Greg's teenage brother and he never misses a chance to be cruel to Greg. He is known for sleeping excessively in the morning and for his rebellious attitude. Rodrick is part of a basement band (garage band in the movies) called "Löded Diper". Rodrick will do anything to embarrass Greg and will even cause problems for Manny to make everyone's life miserable.
Sequels.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" is the first book in an ongoing franchise. A total of nineteen "Wimpy Kid" books have been released, the sequels to the first book are: ' (2008) which was listed on the "New York Times" Best Sellers list for 117 weeks, ' (2009) which was on the "New York Times" Best Sellers list for 65 weeks, peaking at number one, ' (2009) which was ranked at number one on the "New York Times" Best Sellers List for all 25 weeks of inclusion, making it the #1 best selling book of 2009, ' (2010), ' (2011), ' (2012), ' (2013), ' (2014), ' (2015), ' (2016), ' (2017), ' (2018)," " (2019), ' (2020), ' (2021), ' (2022), ' (2023), and (2024).
Reception.
The book won the Blue Peter Book Award 2012, revealed live on British kids channel CBBC on March 1, 2012. In 2012 it was ranked number 76 on a list of the top 100 children's novels published by "School Library Journal".
Adaptations.
A film adaptation, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," was released by 20th Century Fox on March 19, 2010. The film stars Zachary Gordon as Greg Heffley, Robert Capron as Rowley Jefferson, Steve Zahn as Frank Heffley (Dad), Rachael Harris as Susan Heffley (Mom), Devon Bostick as Rodrick Heffley, Chloë Grace Moretz as Angie Steadman (a character exclusive to the live-action film), and Connor & Owen Fielding as Manny Heffley, Greg's brother. It would later go on to spawn three sequels.
Another film adaptation, this time animated, serving as a reboot of the film series was released on December 3, 2021 exclusively on Disney+.
References.
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Robert Capron
American actor
Robert Banfield Capron Jr. (born July 9, 1998) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Rowley Jefferson, Greg Heffley's best friend, in the first three installments of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" film series. More recently, Capron is known for starring as Mason in the drama series "Elementary", and as David Lewan in the film "The Polka King".
Career.
Capron started off with a role in "Bride Wars", and later had small parts in ' and the Disney film, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". His mother, Kaye Capron, played his character's mother in "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". Capron is from Scituate, Rhode Island, and has also been billed as Robert B. Capron. Sometime after, he began teaching film and acting classes at Actors for Autism.
Personal life and education.
He graduated from Brown University in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in modern culture and media/history.
During spring 2019, he attended Fordham University's London Dramatic Academy Program.
Capron was teased due to his weight as a child. This resulted in him suffering an eating disorder in which he only ate 500 calories a day.
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J. Wellington Wimpy
Fictional character from Popeye
J. Wellington Wimpy, generally referred to as Wimpy, is a character in the comic strip "Popeye", created by E. C. Segar, and in the "Popeye" cartoons based upon the strip. Wimpy debuted in the strip in 1931 and was one of the dominant characters in the newspaper strip, but when "Popeye" was adapted as an animated cartoon series by Fleischer Studios, Wimpy became a minor character; Dave Fleischer said that the character in the original Segar strip was "too smart" to be used in the film cartoon adaptations. Wimpy appears in Robert Altman's 1980 live-action musical film "Popeye," played by Paul Dooley.
Inspiration.
The character seems to have been inspired by more than one person whom Segar had encountered. Wimpy's personality was based upon that of William Schuchert, the manager of the Chester Opera House where Segar was first employed. "Windy Bill", as he was known, was a pleasant, friendly man, fond of tall tales and hamburgers.
Additional sources suggest that Segar composed the character's name from the names of two other acquaintances. According to fellow cartoonist Bill Mauldin, the name was suggested by that of Wellington J. Reynolds, one of Segar's instructors at the Chicago Art Institute. In a brief 1935 interview in "The Daily Oklahoman", H. Hillard Wimpee of Atlanta indicated that he was connected to the character, having worked with Segar at the "Chicago Herald-Examiner" in 1917. It became a custom in the office that whoever accepted an invitation for a hamburger would pay the bill. According to Wimpee, after seeing the character in the newspaper, he wrote to Segar in 1932 about Wimpy, "afraid of being connected with what [Segar] was doing with [the character]." He said Segar replied, "You haven't seen anything yet."
Character.
Wimpy is Popeye's friend, and he plays the role of both a "straight man" and a self-centered foil to Popeye. Wimpy is a soft-spoken romantic, intelligent and educated, a lazy coward, a miser, and a glutton. He is a scam artist, and frequently bereft of either cash or lodging (due to both his lethargy and voracious appetite), but frequently feigns high social status (sporadically, and possibly inaccurately, referring to himself as a former college alumnus). Besides mooching hamburgers, he also picks up discarded cigars. Popeye often tries to reform Wimpy's character, but Wimpy never reforms.
Hamburgers are Wimpy's all-time favorite food, and he is usually seen carrying or eating one or more at a time – e.g., in "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor" he is seen grinding meat or eating burgers almost the entire time – however, he is usually too cheap or bankrupt to pay for them himself. A recurring joke involves Wimpy's attempts to con other patrons of the diner owned by Rough House into buying his meal for him. His best-known catchphrase started in 1931 as, "Cook me up a hamburger. I'll pay you Tuesday." In March 1932, this then became the famous "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today". Rough House explains why Wimpy is able to get away with this tactic in one strip, stating that "He never comes around on Tuesday". Rough House once suffered a mental breakdown from Wimpy's shenanigans, and demanded that Wimpy be kept out of his hospital room. Wimpy disobeyed this command, resulting in a rare altercation with Popeye. The phrase was also slightly altered in the 1957 animated short "Spree Lunch" to "I'll have a hamburger, for which I will gladly pay you Tuesday." This phrase is now commonly used to illustrate financial irresponsibility and still appears in modern comedies such as "The Drew Carey Show" and "The Office". The initial part of the phrase was the title of Episode 6 of the fourth season of "Cheers" "I'll Gladly Pay You Tuesday."
In Robert Altman's 1980 live-action musical film "Popeye", where Wimpy was played by veteran character actor Paul Dooley, one of Harry Nilsson's original songs, "Everything Is Food", featured Dooley singing the catch-phrase, as he took a hamburger, as "I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." The response from the chorus, as they reclaimed the same hamburger from him, uneaten, was "He would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." Later in the film, a sign in a restaurant reads "Positively NO CREDIT. Especially you, Wimpy!"
Wimpy had other frequently used lines in the original comic strip. On the occasion of another character (typically Popeye or Rough-House) successfully paying for his meal, Wimpy tends to lavish romanticized appraisals upon them, frequently exclaiming "thank you too much" and, to Popeye, lauding him as a "friend" and the "gem of the ocean". In more disadvantageous circumstances, Wimpy tries to placate someone by saying, "I'd like to invite you over to my house for a duck dinner." He then moves away quickly to a safe distance and yells, "You bring the ducks!" Another such line was, "Jones is my name...I'm one of the Jones boys" – an attempt to defuse a hostile situation with a mistaken identity. To deflect an enemy's wrath, he would sometimes indicate a third party and say, "Let's you and him fight", starting a brawl from which he quickly withdrew. He also said "Shake hands, my friend...I want to start my wristwatch" on occasion, once more a reference to his lazy behavior. Wimpy is especially fond of duck hunting, and goes hunting with Popeye on numerous occasions, but usually gains his ducks in dishonest ways as well.
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Comic-style book series by Jeff Kinney
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an illustrated children's novel series and media franchise created by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The series follows Greg Heffley, a middle-schooler who illustrates his daily life in a diary (although he insists that it is a journal).
Kinney spent eight years working on the first book before showing it to a publisher. In 2004, Funbrain and Kinney released an online version of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". The website made daily entries from September 2004 to June 2005. The online version had received almost 20 million views by 2009. Nonetheless, many online readers requested a printed version. In February 2006, during the New York Comic Con, Kinney signed a multi-book deal with publisher Abrams Books to turn "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" into a printed book series. The first installment was released in April 2007 and received immediate success. In April 2009, "Time" magazine named Kinney in the "Time" 100 most influential people.
As of October 2024, the series consists of nineteen main entries, as well as an activity book. A spin-off series centering on the character Rowley Jefferson has three installments as of 2021. 20th Century Studios produced a live-action film series of the same name from 2010 to 2017, and three animated films in the early 2020s.
Since the release of the online version, most of the books have garnered positive reviews and commercial success. As of 2020, more than 250 million copies have been sold globally, making it the fourth best-selling book series of all time.
Chronology.
Spin-offs.
A spin-off series has been published, written from Rowley's perspective. The first installment, "", was released on April 9, 2019, and is a series of anecdotes about Greg and Rowley's friendship. The second, "Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure", is in the style of a fantasy adventure and was released on August 4, 2020. The book's original release date was April 7, 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The third, "Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories", was released on March 16, 2021.
Audiobooks.
Audiobooks have been released for each main installment in the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. The Recorded Books versions are read by Ramon de Ocampo, while the Penguin Books versions are read by Dan Russell, who has done so since "The Third Wheel", and in 2018 he re-narrated the first 6 books for the markets where Penguin publish the series.
Achievements.
Commercial success.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" was well received from "The Princeton Review", "Gold Card Association", "The Dallas News", "The TRR Editors", "The NW Press", and "The JJ Printing Company". "The New York Times", which ranks children's serials collectively on a "Series Books" bestseller list, has included the "Wimpy Kid" series for 812 weeks as of October 14, 2024. "USA Today", which ranks best sellers based on sales alone regardless of genre or intended audience, has listed "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" in its top 150, peaking at number 8, for 141 weeks as of April 4, 2010.
As of the same date, "Rodrick Rules" has been on the list for 117 weeks (peaking at number 4), "The Last Straw" has been on the list for 65 weeks (peaking at number 1), "Dog Days" has been on the list for all 25 weeks of its publication (peaking at number 1), and "The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary" has been listed for all three weeks of its publication, peaking at number 2.
The series has sold over 200 million books in 56 languages and 65 editions throughout the world. The series has also generated over $500 million in revenue.
Media.
Video games.
On March 14, 2011, Jeff Kinney published a video game adaptation of "Diary of the Wimpy Kid", entitled "Wimpy Wonderland Island", to his online role-playing video game "Poptropica" as one of the main "island" levels, in which the player must problem-solve through game quest scenarios, centering on a problem that the player must resolve by going through multiple obstacles, collecting and using items, talking to various characters, and completing goals. On July 3, 2012, Kinney published a second game, entitled "Wimpy Boardwalk Island".
Films.
Live-action films.
Jeff Kinney announced that a film based on the first book would be produced by 20th Century Fox. The film was released on March 19, 2010, moved up from an April 2 release date. It was directed by Thor Freudenthal, who also directed "Hotel for Dogs". The film starred Zachary Gordon as Greg, Robert Capron as Rowley (Greg's best friend), Steve Zahn as Frank (Greg's father), Rachael Harris as Susan (Greg's mother), Devon Bostick as Rodrick (Greg's older brother), Connor and Owen Fielding as Manny (Greg's younger brother), Chloë Grace Moretz as a new character named Angie, and Grayson Russell as Fregley.
The second film in the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" film series, which was released on March 25, 2011, was based on the second book "Rodrick Rules", with Zachary Gordon reprising his role as Greg Heffley. The film also contains some elements from "The Last Straw" within its plot.
The third film combines the third and fourth books "The Last Straw" and "Dog Days", taking stories from both, but mainly from "Dog Days", from which it took its title. The decision to blend the two films was made to keep up with the ages of the actors. The film was released on August 3, 2012.
The likelihood of a fourth live-action film was slim. Kinney has announced the possibility for an animated film to be based on "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever" as the next installment. In an interview for the book "Hard Luck", Jeff Kinney stated he was working with Fox on a half-hour special of "Cabin Fever", which was to be aired in late 2014, but as of 2021 no updates on the special have been announced. In September 2016, Jeff Kinney announced officially the production of a fourth film, "", on his Twitter account. The film was released on May 19, 2017 and was based on "The Long Haul."
Animated films.
On August 6, 2019, Disney announced they would reboot "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", "Home Alone" and "Night at the Museum" for their streaming service, Disney+. On December 10, 2020, Disney announced at their 2020 Investor's Day that an animated "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" film would be coming to Disney+ on December 3, 2021.
A second animated film, ", was released to Disney+ on December 2, 2022.
A third animated film, ", was released to Disney+ on December 8, 2023.
Musical.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical" was produced by the Children's Theatre Company in 2016. The company staged a reworked version of the production in 2022. A studio album of songs from the show recorded by Broadway performers such as Sutton Foster and Norbert Leo Butz was released on December 14, 2023. Broadway Licensing Global offers licensing materials for professional and amateur productions of the musical.
References.
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The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary
Book by Jeff Kinney
The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary is a non-fiction movie tie-in book by Jeff Kinney about the making of the 2010 film "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". The book received revisions to include informations about the making of the 2011 film ' and the 2012 film '.
Background.
It starts off with how the series was created. Next, it shows how they gradually prepared the movie for filming, such as choosing the cast, writing the script, and finding the right location.
When it talks about filming, other subjects are woven within, especially the actors' downtime and designing props. It also has some reflections about the actors leaving before it talks about post-production. The book ends with the release of the film and a "scrapbook."
The book was updated with behind the scenes info of ' and ', each gaining short sections. A sequel for behind the scenes info of "" was published in 2017 as "The Next Chapter".
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Michael Rodrick
American actor (born 1977)
Michael J. Rodrick (born February 22, 1977) is an American actor.
Biography.
Rodrick was born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey. During his junior year of high school, he auditioned for New Jersey's Governor's School of the Arts on a lark to get himself out of the house. He was one of twelve students selected across the state. He went on to receive a full scholarship to the Catholic University of America, graduating with a BA in political science. During school, he supported himself as a theater carpenter – often building the sets on which he would later perform. Early in his college career, he portrayed Jim O'Connor in Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" and The Beast in "Beauty and the Beast".
Rodrick can be seen starring as Briggs on "Castle Rock" and as Ray Fisher on "Greenleaf." He has appeared in several feature films, most notably "The River Murders" opposite Ray Liotta, "Nowhere Man, Desolation Angels" (Telluride Film Festival winner), and "Under Hellgate Bridge". He has repeatedly collaborated with director Tim McCann. Rodrick originated the role of Cameron Sinclair on NBC's "Another World" also "General Hospital" and has appeared in guest star roles on "Hawaii Five-0", "Castle", "Major Crimes", "Rizzoli & Isles", "Saving Grace", "The Mentalist", "24", "Bones", "Charmed", and the Jerry Bruckheimer shows ', "Without a Trace", "Close to Home", and "Cold Case". He has also lent his voice to the video games ' and "L.A. Noire".
Rodrick currently resides in New York City. When not acting, he works with developers to build housing for the homeless, with a focus on seniors and veterans, as well as at-risk foster youth. He studies Krav Maga and enjoys tuna fishing, salsa dancing, and attending film festivals.
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List of Diary of a Wimpy Kid characters
Characters in Diary of a Wimpy Kid
The "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" franchise contains a large cast of characters. It centers on protagonist Greg Heffley, his best friend Rowley Jefferson, and Greg's family: his mother Susan, father Frank, and brothers Rodrick and Manny.
Main characters.
Greg Heffley.
Gregory "Greg" Heffley serves as the central character of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He is depicted as the middle son of Frank and Susan Heffley, navigating the trials of middle school with an intense desire for popularity. This ambition often leads him to go to great lengths, including displaying antagonistic behavior or manipulating his best friend, Rowley. Despite these tendencies, Greg occasionally shows moments of kindness, suggesting a more complex personality beneath his relentless quest for social status.
In "", for instance, Greg persuades Rowley to do his homework, only to annoy him and impede Rowley's concentration, underscoring Greg's tendency to exploit his friend.
In the film adaptations, Greg is portrayed by Zachary Gordon in the first three films, Jason Drucker in ', and Brady Noon in the animated films until ', where Wesley Kimmel provides his voice.
Rowley Jefferson.
Rowley Jefferson is characterized to be Greg's best friend. Rowley is characterized as friendly, good-natured, and somewhat naive, remaining loyal to Greg despite frequently getting caught up in Greg’s schemes. In "", Rowley begins dating Abigail Brown, initially Greg’s intended date for the Valentine's Day dance." This relationship continues into ", where Rowley drifts away from Greg to spend more time with Abigail. However, by the end of the book, Rowley and Abigail break up, allowing Rowley and Greg to rekindle their friendship.
Rowley’s interests are often portrayed as "immature" by Greg, such as his enthusiasm for the pop singer Joshie, who is marketed toward young children, and his enjoyment of action figures Greg considers childish. Greg’s jealousy also becomes apparent when Rowley receives a diary for his birthday and suggests they could be “Diary Twins,” prompting Greg to dismissively respond with a light punch, showing his annoyance. Rowley is the original creator of the comic strip "Zoo Wee Mama!" Although Greg claims to have contributed, Rowley maintains in the first book that Greg had little involvement in and made fun of the comic, a rare instance where Rowley asserts himself.
In "", Rowley is the protagonist, with Greg taking on a more antagonistic role, showcasing Rowley’s perspective on their friendship.
In the film series, Rowley is portrayed by Robert Capron in the first three films, Owen Asztalos in "The Long Haul", and Ethan William Childress in the animated films until "", where he was voiced by Spencer Howell instead.
Frank Heffley.
Franklin "Frank" Heffley is depicted to be Greg's overreactive but well-meaning father. He is interested in U.S. history, with his replica of a Civil War battlefield serving as a recurring plot point in the series. In the books, Frank despises Rowley, and does not appreciate Greg's skill at video games. He is also shown to loathe heavy metal and adolescents. Frank tries to toughen Greg up and threatens to send him to a military academy in ', although ultimately this does not come to fruition, much to Greg's relief. However, Greg and Frank grow together in ', despite a brief period when Frank does not speak to Greg after almost getting arrested and going to jail. He was Greg’s Aunt Cakey’s boyfriend for a short time, but then he revealed to like her sister Susan more, whom he went on to marry.
He seems to have displayed similar mischievous, possessive and selfish tendencies to Greg in his childhood, as in "", it is revealed that as a child he invented the mythical cryptid Silas Scratch to keep others away from the maintenance shed with a working bathroom at Hardscrabble Farms which he snuck into and used for his convenience. The rumors are later spread even further by Greg himself so no one would use the bathroom but him.
Frank is depicted to be addicted to junk food; in "The Last Straw", the character makes a New Year's Resolution to go on a strict diet, but Greg later catches him in the garage eating brownies. After Greg is forced to go for several days without any snacks due to a thief taking them, he eventually decides to catch the thief and discovers that it is Frank.
In the film series, Frank is portrayed by Steve Zahn in the first three films, Tom Everett Scott in "The Long Haul", and Chris Diamantopoulos in the animated films.
Susan Heffley.
Susan Heffley (known as Ann Heffley in the online version) is the mother of Manny, Greg, and Rodrick, the wife of Frank and a homemaker. She is about the same age as Frank as they've been together since middle school. She is a loving, caring, and good-natured mother but can be embarrassing, bossy, hypocritical, dimwitted, overprotective, and naive. Susan seems to have very limited knowledge of kids Rodrick and Greg's ages and constantly humiliates and ignores them. She constantly tries to get the family together, which never works out. She and her husband Frank also show immense favoritism towards their youngest son, Manny. When Susan was young, she “stole” Frank from her sister Cakey when Cakey and him were dating because Frank revealed to like Susan more. In the 2011 film adaptation of "Rodrick Rules", Susan has a column in the local newspaper known as "Susan's Musings".
In the film series, Susan is portrayed by Rachael Harris in the first three films, Alicia Silverstone in "The Long Haul", and Erica Cerra in the animated films.
Rodrick Heffley.
Rodrick Heffley is a male teenager who is Greg and Manny's older brother. He is also a member of the heavy metal/punk band Löded Diper (a play on "Loaded Diaper" and rock bands with archaic name spellings such as Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe). He was introduced hating Greg and Rowley. Most of the time in earlier books, Greg and Rodrick do not get along, and often one of them gets the other in trouble. However, he shows affection to him in the "" film when Rodrick is allowed to bring his band, "Löded Diper", to celebrate his crush's (Heather Hills') 16th birthday. In addition, their relationship slowly improves over the course of the books. Frank Heffley has trouble trusting him, as he dislikes heavy metal and teenagers in general. Rodrick is seemingly not very intelligent, as he makes foolish assumptions and decisions, and cannot spell very well. Frank becomes frustrated by Rodrick's factual errors in his school assignments (for example, crediting Abraham Lincoln as the author of "To Kill a Mockingbird").
In the film series, Rodrick is portrayed by Devon Bostick in the first three films, Charlie Wright in "The Long Haul", and voiced by Hunter Dillon in the animated films. For the first three live-action films, the character's room is relocated to the attic, as the house used in the films has no basement.
Manny Heffley.
Man "Manny" Heffley is Greg and Rodrick's 3-year-old (5-year-old in the Funbrain version) brother, who is constantly spoiled and pampered by his parents, who even allow him to get away with the capitol crime of drawing on Greg's door in permanent marker. As the youngest child of the Heffley family, he plays a major role in the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series, having appeared in all the main series books to date. He has shown cases of unusually high intelligence; for example, switching all his family's power to his room in "" during a blizzard, resulting in Greg, Rodrick, and Susan almost freezing to death in the ensuing chaos (excluding Frank, as he was in a hotel at the time), and speaking fluent Spanish to two repairmen in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul”. In "The Long Haul," Manny is given a piglet at a country fair.
Manny often calls Greg "Bubby" on account of the fact that he is unable to say the word "brother". This trait from Manny annoys Greg a lot and he sees this as the most irritating thing about Manny.
In the film series, Manny is portrayed by Connor and Owen Fielding in the first three films, Wyatt and Dylan Walters in "The Long Haul", and Gracen Newton in the animated films.
Greg's extended family.
Gramma.
”Gramma” is Susan's mother and Greg's maternal grandmother. Gramma is known to drive a car like the Heffleys'. Greg often calls her to his home as a way to avoid his dad's scoldings, since his father will not do this when she is around. Her favorite grandchild is Manny, although she denies and lies about this despite overwhelming evidence in the form of pictures on her refrigerator and many of Manny's drawings around her house. She also seems to have a passion for bingo and knitting. Gramma has a dog named Sweetie (originally the Heffleys' dog, who was given to Gramma in "Dog Days" to replace her dog, Henry, who was said to have died), who she overfeeds. She has a large role in "Hot Mess", in which she wants her family to take a beach trip to relive her favorite memories for her 75th birthday. Later, the Heffley family returns home to realize that she has thrown a party without them.
Grandpa.
"Grandpa" Heffley is Greg's unpredictable paternal grandfather, who is asked to babysit Greg and Rodrick in "Rodrick Rules". Until "Old School", he lived in a retirement community called Leisure Towers and enjoys playing games such as "Gutbusters" and Rummy, which the two boys find boring. Grandpa never watches any real shows on the television; instead, he constantly has his television tuned to CCTV footage of the retirement home lobby, which he spends his time watching. Greg is his favorite grandson which, unlike Gramma, he does not deny