In February 2021 we reported that Netflix won the bidding war for the upcoming Tim Burton-directed Addams Family TV show, Wednesday. Filming is over, but it was recently revealed Christina Ricca, the former Wednesday Addams actress,! We’re going to be keeping track of everything you need to know about Wednesday, including the plot, casting news, production updates, and the eventual Netflix release date.
Wednesday is an upcoming Netflix Original family fantasy show directed by the legendary Tim Burton. Netflix won the bidding war for the show, beating all of its competitors to earn the exclusive global distribution right. The creators of the series are Al Gough and Miles Millar.
It has already been announced that MGM TV is the production studio behind the development of Wednesday, with Burton on board as an executive producer alongside his duties as a director. Burton is accompanied by Jon Glickman, Andrew Mittman, and Gail Berman as fellow producers on the Original.
The release of Wednesday will mark a special occasion in Tim Burton’s career as the show will be his TV directorial debut.
What is the plot of Wednesday?
The official loglines for the series have been revealed by Netflix:
Wednesday Addams misadventures as a student at Nevermore Academy: a very unique boarding school snuggled in deepest New England.
Wednesday’s attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago — all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore.
A much larger synopsis for Wednesday has also been reported:
After getting kicked out of eight schools in Five years, Willa aka Wednesday Adams is beginning a new chapter of her life at the academy, the two century old boarding school attended by her parents. However, Willa wants nothing to do with their alma mater and she’s already planning her escape. But this academy is like no other school she’s ever attended. It’s a school of outcasts with four main cliques, the Fangs (vampires) the Furs (werewolves), the Scales (sirens) and the Stoners. It is also a piece of the mystery that holds dark secrets about her family’s past.
Who are the cast members of Wednesday?
The role of Wednesday Addams has finally been revealed. Taking on the iconic role is Jenna Ortega, who Netflix subscribers should recognize by now.
Ortega has starred in multiple Originals for Netflix. She is most recognizable for her role as Ellie in the second season of You, Phoebe in The Babysitter: Killer Queen, and Katie Torres in Yes Day. She is also the voice of Brooklyn in the popular Jurassic World animated series Camp Cretaceous.
Outside of Netflix, Ortega has also featured in popular titles such as Disney’s Elena of Avalor, The CW’s Jane the Virgin, and the MCU movie Iron Man 3.
In an exciting turn of events, former Addams Family, and Wednesday Addams actress Christina Ricci has joined the cast of Wednesday! It’s currently unknown what role Ricci has been given, however, we can confirm that she will not be playing an older version of Wednesday Addams.
Christina Ricci in 2019 (left) and Ricci as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family (1991)
Who is in the rest of the cast?
It took a little longer than expected, but we finally have our Morticia and Gomez Addams cast in Wednesday! Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones will be taking on the iconic role of Morticia Addams, and Luis Guzmán will be playing her on-screen husband Gomez Addams.
The remaining leads and supporting cast members have also been cast in the Wednesday series.
Top: Emma Myers, Hunter Doohan, Percy Hynes White, Joy Sunday | Bottom: Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Thora Birch
The Students
Emma Myers has been cast as Enid Sinclair, a Werewolf with a sunny disposition, and the roommate of Willa (Wednesday). A complete opposite to Willa, Enid accessorized the school’s purple uniform with brightly colored accessories.
Hunter Doohan has been cast as Tyler Galpin, a smart and sensitive young man who suffers from his dysfunctional relationship with his father, the sheriff of the town. Tyler is human, and works part-time at the local cafe, and aspires to leave the town for good when he graduates high school.
Percy Hynes White has been cast as Xavier Thorpe, a young man that comes from wealth and privilege who becomes fascinated by Willa.
Joy Sunday has been cast as Bianca Barclay, a siren who is seen as school royalty, and her attitude shows it. Bianca is constantly at odds with Willa but beneath her scaled exterior is a woman whose life has been far from easy.
The Adults
Gwendoline Christie has been cast as Principal Larissa Weems, who constantly clashes with Willa as she believes her to be nothing more than a trouble maker. She presents herself as warm and welcoming but hides her true feelings like a skilled diplomat.
Riki Lindhome has been cast as Dr. Valerie Kinbott, an eccentric professional therapist who takes a keen interest in her latest patient Willa. Thoughtful, and perceptive, Dr. Kinbott also has a love for roadkill taxidermy, Diptyque candles, and cashmere ponchos.
Jamie McShane has been cast as Sheriff Donavan Galpin, the single father of teenager Tyler. Time has taken its toll on the sheriff, which has made him a cynical and frustrated man, which has often lead him to be abusive towards his son. When a series of murders happen near the academy, he becomes obsessed with connecting the grizzly killings to the school.
Thora Birch has been cast as Ms. Tamara Novak, the only human teacher of the academy. Smart, quirky, and perceptive, Tamara teaches A.P. Bio and finds herself particularly connected to Willa.
Full Cast List
Below is the full cast list for Wednesday:
| Role | Cast Member |
|---|---|
| Wednesday ‘Willa’ Addams | Jenna Ortega |
| Gomez Addams | Luis Guzmán |
| Morticia Addams | Catherine Zeta-Jones |
| Enid Sinclair | Emma Myers |
| Tyler Galpin | Hunter Doohan |
| Xavier Thorpe | Percy Hynes White |
| Bianca Barclay | Joy Sunday |
| Principal Larissa Weems | Gwendoline Christie |
| Dr. Valerie Kinbott | Riki Lindhome |
| Sheriff Donavan Galpin | Jamie McShane |
| Ms. Tamara Novak | Thora Birch |
| Joseph Crackstone | William Houston |
| Mayor Walker | Tommie Earl Jenkins |
| Ajax Petropolus | Georgie Farmer |
| Yoko Tanaka | Naomi j Ogawa |
| Eugene Otinger | Moosa Mostafa |
| Divana | Johnna Dias-Watson |
| Carter | Islam Bouakkaz |
| Deputy Santiago | Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo |
| Lurch | George Burcea |
| Puglsey Addams | Isaac Ordonez |
| Kent | Oliver Watson |
| Lucas Walker | Iman Marson |
| Thing | Victor Dorobantu |
| Rowan | Calum Ross |
When is Wednesday coming to Netflix?
All we can do at this stage is speculate when Wednesday will be coming to Netflix as it is far too early for any official release date to be announced.
At the earliest, we could potentially see Wednesday arrive in the Fall of 2022. A Halloween-themed release would be very apt given the character of Wednesday Addams, but it’s still a stretch. However, it’s more likely we’ll see the series land in late 2022 or early 2023.
What is the production status of Wednesday?
Official Production Status: post-production (Last Updated: 16/09/2021)
Principal photography began on the project in September 2021 and took place in Romania. Filming lasted for a few months before coming to an end sometime in January 2022.
Filming is now underway for Wednesday! Principal photography began in early September, but it’s currently unknown when filming is scheduled to finish.
What is the episode count for Wednesday?
It has already been confirmed that the first season of Wednesday will have a total of eight episodes.
The runtime of each episode is approximately 60 minutes.
Is Wednesday a Limited Series?
It still remains unclear if Netflix will only receive one season of Wednesday.
There’s no doubt in our minds that Wednesday is going to be extremely popular with subscribers, and is likely going to be one of the biggest Originals released on Netflix since Stranger Things, The Umbrella Academy, and The Witcher.
The idea of a second season is likely to rest heavily in the hands of Tim Burton, who has the reigns on the series as showrunner, director, and executive producer.
When is the Wednesday Netflix release date?
Netflix has not confirmed a release date for Wednesday as of yet. However, with filming now over and the series in post-production we expect to see it arrive before the end of 2022.
Given the gothic horror themes of The Addams Family-related content, we think the series would be perfect for Netflix’s Halloween 2022 line-up.
Are you looking forward to the release of Wednesday on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!