Netflix has debuted a teaser and first look photos for Tim Burton’s upcoming series Wednesday, starring Jenny Ortega in the titular role. The much-anticipated dark comedy is set for release later this year and also stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams, and Christina Ricci, who brilliantly played the stoic Wednesday Adams in 1991’s The Addams Family and 1993’s The Addams Family Values films. Ricci’s role in the upcoming series has yet to be announced.
In the teaser, a pale-faced Ortega appears, looping her thick black hair into those two iconic pigtails she’s known for, dressed in dark clothing, and showing no emotions. The character of Wednesday Addams is famous for being obsessed with death, torturing her brother Pugsley for fun and startling people due to her gothic appearance and deadpan personality. She also loves to raise spiders and is an aspiring ballerina whose favorite toy is a Marie Antoinette doll.
What is a Teenaged Wednesday Adams Like?
In the series, Wednesday will not be a small child but a teenager in high school and in a recent interview, Ortega shared that her portrayal of the iconic character will differ from other portrayals in pop culture. Ortega said:
“Her humor and sass is entertaining and shocking when you’re 10 years old, but as you become a teenager it’s less charming. I want to keep that likeability factor and not let it become annoying, bratty or pretentious. I really hope to do her justice, because I know that she means a lot to people.”
Here is a first look at Jenny Ortega as Wednesday Addams.
Ortega also recalled when she worked with Christina Ricci, who she called “incredible.”
“I got to work with her, and I learned a lot from her. In my personal opinion, Wednesday will never get any better, so that’s the thing about my portrayal too. It’s like, OK, well, I do what I can and just do whatever I can to make sure I’m not ripping anybody else off. But I have immense respect for her and I think she will always be Wednesday in my eyes.”
According to Netflix, the eight-episode coming-of-age story is a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ years as a student at Nevermore Academy. Viewers will see local townspeople of Jericho along with Wednesday’s attempts to master her emerging ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the town and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago.