The first two Addams Family movies were excellent. They boast amazing set design, impressive visual effects and an absolutely stellar cast. Luminaries like Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, and Christopher Lloyd brought America’s most ghoulish family to the big screen in style and now, Netflix seems to be trying to capture that magic in Tim Burton’s Wednesday.
The streamer announced the show in February, confirming that it’ll follow an older version of the goth icon as she enters college. Wednesday was famously played by Christina Ricci in the original two movies and she’s still very closely associated with the part. But while she isn’t getting cast as the lead, a new report from The Illuminerdi says that the actress is under consideration for Morticia, Wednesday’s mother.
If true, this would see Ricci returning to the franchise that made her career and I have no doubt she’d be great in the part. But who’s donning a black dress and a deadpan scowl for the title role? Well, rumor has it that Jane the Virgin‘s Jenna Ortega and the Good Witch‘s Bailee Madison are under consideration, with Burton and Netflix apparently searching for a Latina actor for the part (which makes sense given that her dad is Gomez).
This all sounds like a welcome new direction for the franchise. Since Addams Family Values, the movies have struggled to match those heights. 1998’s Addams Family Reunion recast all the roles for a direct-to-video sequel and, while Tim Curry is pretty good as Gomez, the film sucks. The 2019 animated adaptation fared a little better, but softened the family a bit too much for my liking. Fortunately, the omens seem positive here, so let’s hope Burton can work his magic.
Wednesday is expected to arrive early in 2021 and will consist of eight episodes. More on this as we hear it.
