Nearly three decades since the theatrical release of Barry Sonnenfields Addams family valuesGolden Globe and Emmy nominee Christina Ricci is on her way back to the franchise as she officially signs on Netflixs upcoming live-action Addams Family series. After playing Wednesday Addams in the early ’90s, Ricci is now set to portray a brand new character who joins Jenna Ortega, who will take on the mantle as the iconic titular teenager in the Tim Burton-directed series.
According to Deadline is Yellowjackets Stars casting comes after Thora Birch’s sudden exit during production. Her new character will likely look like the one Birch was originally supposed to play. Production on Wednesday series is expected to end at the end of the month in Romania.
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“The series will map the titular heroine’s year as a student at the quaint Nevermore Academy while trying to master her new psychic ability,” reads the synopsis, “while also thwarting a monstrous killing spree that terrorizes the local city and solves the supernatural mystery. who involved her parents 25 years ago – all the while navigating her new and very tangled relationship with the strange and diverse group of students. “
Wednesday is a series of 8 episodes described as a growing comedy that will be a transparent, supernatural mystery. The live-action series will be directed by Jenna Ortega (Yes today) in her major TV project as the title role alongside 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.
With them are Hunter Doohan, Georgie Farmer, Moosa Mostafa, Emmy Myers, Naomi J. Ogawa, Joy Sunday and Percy Hynes White, who have been used 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, where Christie will play Rector Larissa Weems, Morticia’s former classmate, who still has an ax to grind.
Additional cast include Tommie Earl Jenkins as Mayor Walker, Iman Marson as Lucas Walker, William Houston as Joseph Crackstone, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo as Deputy Santiago, Oliver Watson as Kent, Calum Ross as Rowan and Johnna Dias Watson as Divina.
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Wednesday is executive produced and directed by Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Mortuary) in his TV directorial debut. The acclaimed filmmaker was previously associated with writing and producing an animated Addams Family film for Illumination Entertainment. But three years after the project was announced, it was eventually canceled.
Based on the characters created by the cartoonist Charles Addams in 1938, Wednesday is created and written by Al Gough and Miles Millar, who are also set as showrunners. Executive producers are Andrew Mittman, Kevin Miserocchi, Kayla Alpert, Jonathan Glickman and Gail Berman, with MGM and United Artists also involved in producing.