It was revealed last month that Christina Ricci would be returning to the world of The Addams Family with a role in Tim Burton’s Netflix series Wednesday. Now the actress has revealed that her work on the series is done, and she has wrapped filming her role in the new live-action series based on the iconic morbid family. Ricci played Wednesday in the original live-action Addams Family movie in 1991, and reprised the role again for the sequel, Addams Family Values. While the role of Wednesday will this time be played by Jenna Ortega, having Ricci on board is something everyone wanted.
Ricci appeared at Pittsburgh’s Steel City Con, per ComicBook.com, and revealed that the Romania-based shoot has ended, and she believes that fans are going to really love what Burton has done with the series. She said, "I just finished it two weeks ago, and it was great. It was great working with Tim, and Jenna is amazing. I think people are going to absolutely love her as Wednesday."
Ricci also heaped praise on her young co-stars, as well as Gwendoline Christie, who will also be appearing as Lucifer in the Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series, whom Ricci called “incredible.” Of the young cast she added, “All the kids in it are really fantastic, so I think it’s gonna be great.”
Wednesday Brings A New Twist to the Addams Family
In the ’90s movies, Wednesday was a death-loving loner, who would usually be seen walking around in the background with various dangerous weapons intended to cause pain on her brother Pugsley. While the character was mostly used for some darkly comic moments, in Tim Burton’s new series, Wednesday takes center stage in a supernatural mystery that will be like no other Addams Family iteration before it.
The story of the series will see Wednesday as a student at Nevermore Academy. Described as a coming-of-age comedy, Wednesday will be involved in a number of tangled relationships, struggling to bring out her new psychic abilities, end the killings that are taking place in the nearby town and uncover the secrets that have plagued her parents for quarter of a century. With a devilishly detailed plotline, and a supporting cast that includes Catherine Zeta Jones as Morticia, and Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams, there is already a lot to like and look forward to about Burton’s take on the ooky kooky family.
In taking on the role of Wednesday herself, Jenna Ortega loved the idea of taking on a new version of the character, but also recognized that there is a lot of expectation when portraying someone so well-known. She previously explained:
“Wednesday has been done so perfectly. There's that pressure. I knew that I could not be ripping anybody off. It's been really incredible because our director, Tim Burton, is very collaborative. We've never seen her on screen so often. She's always been the one-liner. How do we keep that kick, that fire, while also giving us enough of an emotional range to carry a story without losing the emotionless character she is at her core?”
Wednesday is expected to arrive on Netflix later this year.