Netflix has dropped the first behind-the-scenes featurette for Wednesday, Tim Burton’s upcoming live-action Addams Family series, featuring commentary from Burton, the main cast, and showrunners. It will be available for streaming this fall.
The Wednesday featurette highlights Jenna Ortega’s portrayal of the iconic character including the preparations she did for the role such as diligently taking fencing and cello lessons. Ortega also discussed how will her version be different from previous iterations, while Burton, the showrunners, and the rest of the cast complimented how perfect she is for the role.
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Wednesday is an eight-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 first major TV project as the titular lead along with Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams, Victor Dorobantu as Thing, Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams, and George Burcea as Lurch.
“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.”
In addition, Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Christina Ricci is also set to appear as an entirely new character. She famously portrayed Wednesday Addams in the early 90s.
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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, Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, and Jamie McShane have been cast as members of Nevermore Academy’s faculty, with Christie set to play Principal Larissa Weems, Morticia’s former classmate who still has an axe to grind.
Wednesday is executive produced and directed by Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride) in his television directorial debut. The acclaimed filmmaker was previously attached to write and produce an animated Addams Family film for Illumination Entertainment. However, three years after the project was announced, it was ultimately canceled.
