'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules' debuts Friday on Disney+

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Following the success of last year's film, "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid," there's a brand new sequel debuting Friday on Disney+.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules," is based on the second book in the series.

Author Jeff Kinney created the series 15 years ago.

Kinney tells Action News he feels so privileged to watch the fanbase grow.

"I think it's because the characters are messy," Kinney says. "I think that Greg's not an aspirational character, he's full of imperfections like I was as a kid. I think it's sort of refreshing to read about a character like that, who doesn't always do the right thing, who struggles. I think it's why the stories have worked and have lasted for a while."

In this sequel, we dive into the sibling rivalry between Greg and his older brother Rodrick.

Kinney explains how he created these characters and this world.

"The impetus came from failure," Kinney says. "I wanted to be a newspaper cartoonist, but nobody liked my work. I had to figure out a way to get my cartoons seen somewhere, somehow. And so I wrote them into a book. Luckily, there was an appetite for that and it's worked."

Kinney says it's a privilege being able to produce two films for Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of 6abc.