Netflix has offered fans a glimpse at Jenna Ortega in her title role as spooky Wednesday Addams in a trailer for a new spin-off series
(Picture: Matthias Clamer/Netflix/PA)Spooky season is upon us and Tim Burton has risen from his slumber to bring us Wednesday Addams’s very own Netflix series.
Leaning into the character’s Latin heritage, Wednesday is played by Jenna Ortega, known for roles in the CW’s Jane the Virgin and Netflix’s You.
Although Ortega has some massive Mary Janes to fill, her scowl already seems to fit the bill for this deadpan comedy.
Director Tim Burton said he was “excited” at this version of the Addams family daughter.
He said: “Wednesday is like the classic outsider, obviously.
“She sees things very black and white – mainly black but, in the past, incarnations has been very cartoon-y.
“She’s like a silent-movie actress in the sense where she’s able to convey things without words. To see the inner life and the subtleties was very exciting.”
And with the original Wednesday’s stamp of approval (as Christina Ricci returns in a yet unnamed role), fans have been buzzing for any announcements.
For this latest iteration of the Addams family’s adventures, you can expect the unexpected. But for now, here’s what you should know.
When is the release date?
Wednesday and her band of ominous outcasts will be ready for their global premiere on November 23.
Disappointingly, this falls on a Sunday.
As Ortega was cast back in 2021, followed by her parents, Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez (Luis Guzman) as esteemed alumni of her new school, pressure has mounted to announce a release date.
Following the month of Halloween, this creepy but already charming take on the famed Addams family has been a long time coming.
What to expect from the plot?
The eight-part series meets Wednesday Addams, described by Ortega as a “socially awkward” outcast, being expelled from Nancy Reagan High School, where she is branded as a “freak”, but retaliates with a piranha in the pool.
Driven off to attend Nevermore Academy in the small town of Jericho, a supernatural school for the exiled and ignored, Wednesday adjusts in her own way.
The young Addams child navigates her way through a new school, new friends (and enemies), and monstrous, murderous investigations.
While attempting to master her psychic powers, the young Addams also takes on an investigation of a town killing spree and the supernatural mystery that befell her family a quarter century ago.
Co-creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough shared their thoughts on the fresh approach.
Millar said: “It was very important to us that it wasn’t a remake or a reboot – that this was a new chapter in Wednesday Addams’s life.”
Gough added: “This is really a show about exploring her journey into adulthood.
“She says the things that the rest of us wish we could say.”
