Christina Ricci has just joined Tim Burton's reboot of The Addams Family. Back in the 1991 movie adaptation of the kooky family, Ricci starred as Wednesday Addams, one of the two children of the titular Addamses. After reprising the role once for the 1993 sequel Addams Family Values, Ricci will mark her return to the Addams Family franchise with her new casting in Wednesday, Burton's reimagining that's currently in the works at Netflix.
Per Deadline, Ricci is said to be a major part of Wednesday, as she comes into the show as a series regular. Full details about her role have not been revealed, but the actress will be playing a new character. She will not be playing an older version of Wednesday, who's played by Jenna Ortega (Scream, X) in the new series as a college-aged version of the character that has usually been portrayed as a young child in previous adaptations.
With Wednesday pretty far into production, this dream casting almost didn't happen. It was a happy accident that came about after Thora Birch had to suddenly leave the series to handle personal matters, creating a void in the show with the need for another major character to replace her. Ricci is said to have already been filming scenes on the project for weeks with plans to wrap up the series by the end of the month in Romania.
Wednesday Marks Christina Ricci's Return to The Addams Family Franchise
The addition of Christina Ricci is new, though the full cast for the Addams Family reboot series had previously been revealed by Netflix. Jenna Ortega, who can currently be seen in the acclaimed slasher flick X that's now playing in theaters, has taken the lead as Wednesday Addams. Also appearing as the other members of the family are Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams and Luis Guzmán as Gomez. The series also stars Riki Lindhome (Garfunkel and Oates, Another Period), Jamie McShane (Sons of Anarchy, CSI: Vegas), Hunter Doohan (Your Honor), Georgie Farmer (Evermoor), Moosa Mostafa (Nativity Rocks!), Emma Myers (Girl in the Basement), Naomi J. Ogawa (Skylines), Joy Sunday (MacGyver), and Percy Hynes White (The Gifted).
Set at Nevermore Academy and described as a "sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery," Tim Burton directs Wednesday, marking his directorial debut on the small screen. It is written by Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar, who also serve as showrunners and executive produce alongside Burton. Also executive producing are Kayla Alpert, Steve Stark, and Andrew Mittman for 1.21, Kevin Miserocchi, Jonathan Glickman for Glickmania, and Gail Berman.
Wednesday does not yet have a release date but is expected to arrive later this year on Netflix. Meanwhile, Ricci can also be seen in the second season of the acclaimed Showtime series Yellowjackets after appearing as a regular in the first season. She also recently returned to the big screen with a role in the action sequel The Matrix: Resurrections with Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss.