Christina Ricci is returning to the Addams Family, as the actor has boarded Wednesday in an undisclosed role.
Deadline is reporting that Ricci has spent months filming on Wednesday, but her character is being kept under wraps. The outlet did, however, confirm that she will play an original character. Ricci famously played the young Wednesday in 1991's The Addams Family and 1993's The Addams Family Values, which would launch the actor's career. The new series, directed by Tim Burton, will star Jenna Ortega in the titular role. Though her role remains a mystery, Ricci will be a series regular, with Deadline saying she'll be a "major part" of the show.
Wednesday was announced in February 2021, with the show described as a coming-of-age story focused on the devious Addams child. The show will also introduce new elements to the family's lore, like a supernatural school Wednesday will attend. The series will also involve lots of mystery and intrigue, aligning it with Netflix shows like Stranger Things and Locke & Key.
"The upcoming eight-episode series is a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday's years as a student at the peculiar Nevermore Academy," Teddy Biaselli, Director of Original Series at Netflix, said in a statement when the show was announced. "Wednesday's attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago - all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships of the strange and diverse student body.
Shortly after the announcement, rumors quickly swirled that Ricci would play Morticia on the series as a nod to her time on the films. But in May 2021, You star Jenna Ortega landed the role of Wednesday. Her casting was quickly followed by Luis Guzmán joining as Gomez and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia.
Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Miller pitched the series and will serve as writers and showrunners on the eight-episode series, directed by Burton. Gough, Miller, and Burton will all executive produce, while Andrew Mittman (The Addams Family, Alphas), Kevin Miserocchi (Tee and Charles Addams Foundation), Kayla Alpert (Code Black), Jonathan Glickman (Addams Family 2) and Gail Berman (The Addams Family, Alphas) will also serve as producers.
Wednesday is set to premiere on Netflix in 2022.
Source: Deadline