Wednesday release updates, cast, trailer, and synopsis
By Gabii Rayner
World-renowned director and producer Tim Burton is finally back with his latest directorial project. Wednesday, a Netflix production, is the upcoming series from the mind behind The Nightmare Before Christmas.
As a revamped spinoff of the many variations of The Addams Family seen across screens throughout the decades, Wednesday is shaping up to be the perfect show for the spookiness of the autumn season. But when is Wednesday being released? Who is starring in it? And what can we expect from the Netflix series? Here’s what we know!
Wednesday release date
The Netflix show will be coming to our screens in late fall/early winter 2022. In keeping with the creepy, kooky nature of The Addams Family, the show was initially expected to be delivered just before Halloween at the end of October. However, it has been confirmed that the series’ eight episodes will be released all at once on Nov. 28. Satisfyingly, this falls on a Wednesday.
Who is in the Wednesday cast?
Jenna Ortega–best known for her roles in Jane the Virgin, The Fallout, Scream (2022), and the Netflix series You–heads up the cast as the titular Wednesday Addams.
The 19-year-old has already been dubbed ‘The Scream Queen of 2022’, arguably making her the perfect choice for a modern rendition of the youngest Addams member. Other big names include Fred Armisan (SNL) as Uncle Fester, Catherine Zeta-Jones (The Mask of Zorro) as Morticia Addams, Luis Guzmán (Narcos) as Gomez Addams and Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) as headteacher Larissa Weems.
Whilst there has been initial discourse regarding casting — particularly surrounding Luis Guzmán’s Gomez — most fans are overwhelmingly supportive, and are praising the accuracy of the characters against the original cartoon source material.
The rest of the Addams family includes Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams and George Burcea as Lurch, whilst the characters outside of the family remain new to the story. This includes:
- Emma Myers as Enid Sinclair
- Jamie McShane as Sheriff Donovan Galpin
- Joy Sunday as Bianca Barclay
- Riki Lindhome as Dr. Valerie Kinbott
- Percy Hynes White as Xavier Thorpe
- Thora Birch as Tamara Novak
- Hunter Doohan as Tyler Galpin
- Georgie Farmer as Ajax Petropolus
The Wednesday Addams of the 1991 classic, Christina Ricci, has also been cast in the show as “a series regular”. The latest trailer reveals her role as a new character, the teacher Ms. Thornhill.
Where can I watch the ‘Wednesday’ trailer?
The first full length teaser trailer for Netflix’s Wednesday dropped on YouTube on Aug. 17 and racked up around 6 million views in just over 3 days. The official trailer was then released on Oct. 9, describing the show as “a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery”. You can watch it below!
What is Wednesday about?
As highlighted in the trailers, Wednesday looks to follow the Addams daughter in much more depth than ever seen in previous adaptations. In everything from the movies to the television series, Wednesday has acted in her classic macabre style, torturing her brother, obsessing over the disgusting, and typically displaying no sense of emotion.
However, Ortega looks to be leaning more into Wednesday’s sadist joy in this comedy-horror, smiling creepily throughout the teaser and exploring more of her behavior in school settings. This was touched upon in the 1991 movie, with her teacher expressing concern to Morticia over Wednesday’s gruesome drawings of her ancestor being burnt at the stake.
The trailers for the new Netflix series do a great job at establishing the show’s overall vibe without spoiling too much. It highlights Wednesday’s struggles in typical American high schools, before she is moved to the mysterious Nevermore Academy. Here she learns to utilize her psychic powers, whilst combating monsters and uncovering secrets in a show teeming with “mystery, mayhem, and murder”.