‘YOU’ Star Jenna Ortega to Star as Wednesday Addams for Netflix

Samantha Westfall May 19, 2021, 1:12 pm

Comments

Netflix is keeping it in the family — the Addams family! — for its upcoming series Wednesday.

The streamer has cast its former YOU star Jenna Ortega, who played Ellie Alves in the Penn Badgley-starring series, in the titular role of Wednesday Addams in the new live-action, comedic coming-of-age tale.

Ortega will take on the iconic Addams Family role — made famous by Lisa Loring in the 1964 sitcom and later Christina Ricci in the 1991 film — for the first young adult television series around the character.

According to Netflix, Wednesday will be a “supernaturally infused” mystery following Wednesday’s time as a student at Nevermore Academy as she hones her psychic skills. In the wake of a series of local murders, she uses her abilities to attempt to save the town while also diving into a 25-year-old mystery involving her parents. Not to mention, she has to deal with all of the normal relationship angst that plagues a teenage girl!

What’s Coming & Going From Netflix in May 2021

The eight-episode series is directed and executive produced by Academy Award nominee Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands) in his directorial TV debut. Al Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville, Into the Badlands) will act as showrunners, and join executive producers Steve Stark (Medium), Andrew Mittman for 1.21 (The Addams Family), Kevin Miserocchi, Kayla Alpert (Code Black), Jonathan Glickman for Glickmania (Addams Family 2), and Gail Berman (The Addams Family).

“New chapter. Hope I can do Wednesday Addams justice. *snaps twice*” Ortega captioned a photo of herself with the series’ “Chapter One” script on Wednesday.