Serial killers, gorgon anatomy, and one very
animated disembodied hand. Tim Burton's "Wednesday" is the perfect family show!
"Attempted murder. How would that have looked on your record?"
"Terrible. Everyone would know I failed to get the job done."
Netflix gave "Wednesday" an eight-episode season order back in February of 2021,
officially getting the ball rolling on the project. Tim Burton signed on to direct
and executive produce while Al Gough and Miles Millar also serve as co-showrunners.
Production ran from September 2021 to March 2022, so when can we expect to see it?
On September 23, Netflix announced the series would drop November 23rd
and revealed a brand-new poster. Wednesday stands poised, twirling an umbrella, outside
what is likely Nevermore Academy towering in the background. As show star Jenna Ortega has stated,
her version of Wednesday Addams has something hidden away just below the surface. While the
series will miss the Halloween season, "Wednesday" does arrive just in time for Thanksgiving and
quality time with the family. Nothing like good ole fashioned murder to bring folks together.
Netflix's "Wednesday" boasts quite the stacked cast from top to bottom. As far as the Addams
themselves go, Jenna Ortega plays Wednesday, Catherine Zeta-Jones portrays her mother,
Morticia, and Luis Guzmán joins them as family patriarch Gomez. Isaac Ordonez
takes on Wednesday's brother, Pugsley, George Burcea plays Lurch the butler,
and Victor Dorobantu — or his hand, at least — will appear as Thing. Outside
of the Addams family unit, viewers will get to see a host of incredible actors.
The extended cast of "Wednesday" includes Gwendoline Christie as Larissa Weems,
Jamie McShane as Sheriff Donovan Galpin, Joy Sunday as Bianca Barclay, Emma Myers as Enid
Sinclair, Naomi J. Ogawa as Yoko Tanaka, and a laundry list of other strong names.
Additionally, the actress behind the 1990s version of Wednesday Addams, Christina Ricci, will appear
on the Netflix series, though it's unknown who she'll play. When it comes to Uncle Fester, he is
a part of the series, but the character's casting was at least initially being kept under wraps.
The series is meant to be an offshoot of "The Addams Family." Netflix describes it as a:
"Sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery that follows
Wednesday as a student at Nevermore Academy."
"Variety" says that the story will involve Wednesday developing psychic powers and
attempting to control them. In the meantime, the town surrounding the school is terrorized
by an ongoing killing spree. This mystery appears to involve events from the past,
and apparently has a connection to her parents.
Wednesday has to navigate all this while navigating student life, complete with new
relationships and the idiosyncrasies of her fellow students. We have a feeling she's going to have a
harder time whipping her new classmates into shape than those campers at Camp Chippewa in "Addams
Family Values," when she staged a revolt that eventually led to the destruction of the camp.
On August 17, 2022, Netflix gave "Addams Family" fans what they've been waiting for:
the "Wednesday" trailer. Despite clocking in at just over two minutes long, the teaser did
an excellent job of explaining what the series is all about. We see Wednesday get in trouble
at a school by letting piranhas loose in a student-occupied pool before we jump to her
parents shipping her off to Nevermore Academy. We get a look at some of the school's personnel,
students, and the academy itself as things really go off the rails.
Upon her arrival, we find that Wednesday's new
school isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Wednesday narrates in the trailer:
"Little did I know that I'd be stepping into a nightmare, full of mystery, mayhem, and murder."
While that might sound horrifying to the average person, Wednesday has a different feeling.
"I think I'm going to love it here."
After a quick and appropriately chaotic montage, the trailer ends with Wednesday snapping her
fingers twice, an incredibly appropriate homage to the famous "Addams Family" theme song.
Nevermore Academy was founded in 1791. Its sole mission has been to celebrate and nurture those
who lie on the fringes of society. Principal Weems ponders an interesting question in the trailer.
"In a world full of normies, do you feel like an outcast?"
She adds that she too has felt like an oddity and invites the audience to learn
more about the academy and all that is in store through a special video presentation.
The Academy offers a wide range of studies, including Werewolf Reproduction and Gorgon
Anatomy. That's only the beginning of the experience for the students that pass the
application process. Extracurricular activities run the gamut, from painting to archery. The
academy also boasts such notable alumni as gothic novelist Edgar Allan Poe and Ignatius It,
as well as Morticia and Gomez Addams. In the words of two of the students,
the well-respected institute is open to "students from all walks of life... and death."
In a featurette released on August 24, Ortega opens up about her strenuous schedule
preparing to play the show's titular character. Worried about stepping into the role's legacy,
she took fencing and cello lessons twice a week. Her commitment extended
into every facet of the work, including nailing down Wednesday's physicality.
"I would walk like Wednesday, and I think that people thought I might
be kinda crazy because I wanted her to be specific and certain and assertive."
Director Tim Burton even compared Ortega's approach to that of a silent movie actress
because of her ability to convey her thoughts without words. He praised her performance
saying that he couldn't imagine anyone else in the role. While previous iterations of
the character were "cartoony" in Burton's estimation, a sense of reality was brought
to the story to give Wednesday even more grounded character elements.
Ortega also notes that this Wednesday is much more socially awkward than previous iterations,
and her confidence is "more concealed" compared to what fans may have seen in the past.
Christina Ricci forever immortalized Wednesday in '90s films "The Addams Family" and "Addams
Family Values." While her role in the forthcoming series remains top secret,
she told Collider that the role is outrageous and different than
anything she'd ever done. She also shared that she especially enjoyed spending time
in a world where everybody seems so thrilled to be doing the wrong thing.
For Ricci, what makes "Wednesday" even more special is the fact that Tim Burton
asked her directly to be involved. She said,
"To be asked to be part of a new version of this thing that is a
huge part of my identity and my history and my life, I was really touched by it."
While Ricci's Wednesday has a sharp intensity to it, Ortega's turn brings a different energy,
one that Ricci thinks is smart, timely and appropriate. She also observes that the breakout
star possesses the, quote, "spirit of dignity and self-respect that Wednesday's so loved for."
For her part, Ortega commented how "terrified" she was to be filming with Ricci, especially
when getting into the exact same costume Ricci wore 30 years ago. She then swapped compliments,
noting how Ricci's performance in the '90s films was "flawlessly done" and "pitch-perfect," adding,
"I wouldn't change anything about it, which is another reason it was hard for me to do this job."