Let's be real for a second. If you were on the internet in 2017, you probably remember the absolute chaos that erupted when the first trailer for the fourth Wimpy Kid movie dropped. It wasn't just a movie announcement; it was a digital uprising. People were genuinely upset. The #NotMyRodrick hashtag started trending globally, and suddenly, a family comedy about a road trip became the most controversial topic on Twitter. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul cast had the impossible task of following up on three beloved films that had already defined Greg Heffley’s world for a whole generation of kids.
It’s been years now. The dust has settled. We can finally look at this cast without the knee-jerk "it's different, so it's bad" reaction that dominated the conversation back then. Honestly, replacing a cast is always a gamble. It worked for James Bond. It worked for Batman. But for a coming-of-age series where fans grew up alongside the actors? That’s a much tougher sell.
The New Greg Heffley: Jason Drucker’s Impossible Task
Zachary Gordon was Greg Heffley. For three movies, we watched him age from a wide-eyed middle schooler to a teenager. So when Jason Drucker stepped into the role for The Long Haul, he wasn't just playing a character; he was fighting against the audience's muscle memory.
Drucker was actually a great fit for the "wimpy" vibe. He had that specific brand of expressive, slightly frantic energy that the books demand. In the 2017 film, Greg is obsessed with going to a video game convention to meet his idol, Mac Digby. It's a very 2017 plot line. Drucker plays Greg as a bit more of a victim of circumstance than Gordon did. While Gordon’s Greg often felt like the architect of his own misery, Drucker’s version felt more like a kid just trying to survive his mom’s "no-electronics" rule.
He had the look. He had the height. He just didn't have the years of built-up rapport with the audience. If you go back and watch his performance now, he’s actually doing a solid job. He captures that middle-school desperation perfectly. The problem wasn't his acting; it was our collective inability to let go of the original trio.
The Rodrick Problem: Charlie Wright and a Viral Meme
We have to talk about Charlie Wright. Poor guy. He became a meme before the movie even hit theaters. Devon Bostick’s Rodrick Heffley was a legendary cinematic older brother. He was lazy, kind of mean, but weirdly cool in a greasy, garage-band sort of way.
When the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul cast was revealed, Charlie Wright's Rodrick was... different. He had a cleaner look. A different haircut. The internet lost its mind. But if you actually sit down and watch the movie—actually watch it—Wright plays Rodrick with a different kind of dim-witted charm. He’s less "bully" and more "clueless."
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The backlash was so intense that Wright eventually spoke out about it years later, mentioning how the online vitriol actually affected him. It’s a classic example of how toxic fandom can get when "nostalgia" is used as a weapon. He wasn't trying to be Devon Bostick. He was trying to be the Rodrick that director David Bowers wanted for this specific, slightly more "cartoonish" reboot.
The Parents: Alicia Silverstone and Tom Everett Scott
This was the biggest shock for the adults in the room. Seeing Alicia Silverstone—the Clueless icon herself—play Susan Heffley was a trip. She replaced Rachael Harris, who had played the "embarrassing mom" role to perfection.
Silverstone brought a softer, more "granola" energy to Susan. She’s the driving force of the movie, forcing the family into a "bonding" road trip and banning all phones. It’s a thankless role because, in the eyes of a kid watching the movie, she’s the villain. But Silverstone plays it with a genuine, if misguided, warmth.
Then you have Tom Everett Scott as Frank Heffley. Steve Zahn’s Frank was iconic for his "I’m just trying to survive this family" facial expressions. Scott plays Frank a bit more straight. He’s the dad who is caught between his wife’s optimism and his own desire to just finish the drive. The chemistry between Silverstone and Scott is fine, but it lacks that chaotic, lived-in bickering that made the original Heffley parents feel so real.
Why the Recast Happened in the First Place
You might be wondering: why didn't they just keep the old cast?
Biology. That's why.
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By the time 2017 rolled around, five years had passed since Dog Days. Zachary Gordon was 19. Devon Bostick was 25. You can’t really have a 25-year-old playing a high schooler in a movie where the main character is supposed to be in middle school. The "Wimpy Kid" stories rely on that specific, awkward prepubescent window. Once the actors hit their 20s, the "wimpy" charm turns into "why hasn't he moved out yet?"
Director David Bowers, who also directed the previous two films (Rodrick Rules and Dog Days), was in a tough spot. He wanted to continue the franchise, but the original kids had literally outgrown the roles. The only option was a "soft reboot."
A Different Tone for a Different Audience
One thing people often overlook when discussing the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul cast is that the movie itself feels different. It’s more slapstick. There’s a scene involving a pig in a bathtub. There’s a lot of "puke" humor.
The original trilogy had a bit more of that cynical, dry wit found in Jeff Kinney’s books. The Long Haul leaned heavily into the "family road trip gone wrong" tropes. Because the script was broader and more physical, the actors had to play their roles bigger.
Dylan Walters and Wyatt Walters shared the role of Manny, and honestly, Manny is the most consistent character across all the movies. He's a chaotic neutral force of nature. In this film, he’s as weird as ever, eventually learning to speak Spanish fluently in a matter of hours just to get what he wants. It’s absurd, but that’s the Wimpy Kid brand.
The Legacy of the 2017 Cast
Is The Long Haul a masterpiece? No. Is it as bad as the 2017 internet said it was? Also no.
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It’s a functional family movie that suffered from being compared to its predecessors. If this had been the very first Wimpy Kid movie, the cast probably would have been accepted without much fuss. Jason Drucker is a talented kid who went on to be in Bumblebee. Charlie Wright has moved on from the memes.
The interesting thing is how the franchise moved on after this. Instead of trying another live-action recast, Disney (who acquired the rights via Fox) pivoted to animated films on Disney+. This effectively ended the debate over which live-action Greg is better because now, Greg looks exactly like the drawings in the books.
What to Take Away From the Long Haul Era
If you're a fan of the series, or if you're introducing it to your kids, it's worth watching The Long Haul with fresh eyes. Don't look for the old actors. Look at what the new ones brought to the table:
- Jason Drucker nails the "stressed-out kid" vibe.
- Charlie Wright offers a more "spaced-out" version of Rodrick that actually aligns with some of the later books.
- The humor is definitely geared toward a younger, Gen Alpha audience compared to the earlier films.
Recasting is a part of Hollywood. It’s awkward, it’s weird, and it usually makes fans angry. But the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul cast did exactly what they were hired to do: they brought Jeff Kinney’s characters to life for a new batch of kids who hadn't seen the 2010 original.
If you really want to dive deep into the differences, try a "Wimpy Kid Marathon." Watch Rodrick Rules and The Long Haul back-to-back. You’ll notice the shift in comedic timing and how the cinematography changed to match the more colorful, frantic energy of the 2017 reboot.
Instead of dwelling on what the cast wasn't, it's more interesting to see what they were: a group of actors who stepped into a firestorm of internet hate and still delivered a movie that plenty of kids—who didn't care about Twitter hashtags—actually enjoyed.
For your next move, if you're curious about the future of the series, check out the animated versions on Disney+. They've essentially "reset" the timeline, using Jeff Kinney's scripts directly. It’s the closest we’ll get to a definitive version of the story without having to worry about the actors growing up too fast. Or, if you're feeling nostalgic, go back and read the actual Long Haul book. You'll see that while the movie changed a lot, the core "family vacation from hell" spirit started right there on the page.