Thora Birch has exited director Tim Burton’s live-action Addams Family series Wednesday due to personal reasons, according to a recent report from Deadline.
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The move was confirmed by a series producer at MGM, noting that Birch would not be returning to the Netflix series. “Thora has returned to the States to attend to a personal matter and will not be returning to the production,” said the series producer. Deadline’s sources note that Birch is currently dealing with a family illness.
As a result of Birch leaving, the role will not be recast, with the report noting that producers will instead look to add in a new character to the show’s first season. It’s currently unclear whether or not the character will step into the role that Birch’s character played, or if new scenes will be shot to incorporate them.
Wednesday is an 8-episode series described as a coming-of-age comedy that will be a sleuthing, supernaturally-infused mystery. The live-action series will be led by Jenna Ortega (Yes Day) in her major TV project as the titular lead along with Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, and Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams.
“The series will chart the titular heroine’s years as a student at the peculiar Nevermore Academy as she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability,” reads the synopsis, “While also thwarting a monstrous killing spree terrorizing the local town and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago — all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships of the strange and diverse student body.”
Joining them are Hunter Doohan, Georgie Farmer, Moosa Mostafa, Emmy Myers, Naomi J. Ogawa, Joy Sunday, and Percy Hynes White, who have been tapped to portray Nevermore Academy’s supernatural students. Meanwhile, Riki Lindhome, and Jamie McShane have been cast as members of Nevermore Academy’s faculty.
Wednesday will be executive produced and directed by Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride) in his television directorial debut. This wasn’t Burton’s first attempt at adapting the Addams Family as he was previously attached to write and produce an animated film for Illumination Entertainment. However, three years after the project was announced, it was ultimately canceled.
RELATED: Netflix’s Wednesday Addams Series Adds 10 Cast Members
Based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams in 1938, Wednesday is created and written by Al Gough and Miles Millar, who are also set as showrunners. Executive producers are Andrew Mittman, Kevin Miserocchi, Kayla Alpert, Jonathan Glickman, and Gail Berman, with MGM and United Artists also attached to produce.
