Tim Burton, known for his dark take on life, is currently trying to set up a live-action Addams Family TV show, told from Wednesday's perspective. The macabre family, first conceived by cartoonist Charles Addams in 1939, has become popular in the decades since. The adventures of Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Pugsley, and Wednesday have gone on to inspire several adaptations, including a 1960s live-action TV series, some animated series, two very successful live-action movies (also a dismal direct-to-video reboot), and a 2019 animated film which is due to get a sequel in 2021.
The 1990s movies starred Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd, and Christina Ricci, while Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Finn Wolfhard, and Chloe Grace Moretz voiced the Addams' in the animated movie. Meanwhile, Burton is best known for his dark take on American life, making many gothic-toned movies such as Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Frankenweenie, Sleepy Hollow, The Nightmare Before Christmas (as producer only), and The Corpse Bride. Most recently, he helmed Disney's Dumbo remake, which was a relative failure compared to similar Disney remakes like The Lion King and Aladdin.
Now, Burton seems to be returning to his gothic roots, with Deadline confirming that the veteran director is currently developing a live-action series based on the comically spooky Addams Family, with daughter Wednesday as the main character. The report says that the project is being pitched as a Burton vehicle. The eccentric filmmaker set to executive produce and potentially direct all of the episodes of what would be his first TV series. There is no network or streamer attached to the show yet, but the report cites Netflix as the top choice.
The material seems tailor-made for Burton, whose visual aesthetic and narrative tone is darkly comic to a fault. Thus, it makes sense for him to tackle an adaptation of the show. It's interesting, too, that he's chosen to make a TV series after trying and failing to get an Addams Family movie reboot off the ground a decade ago. He clearly believes he has a lot to say with the family. By framing things from Wednesday's perspective, living in modern society, there's potential for the show to follow her from childhood to young adulthood, if Burton so wishes.
There is no word on a cast, but expect speculation to involve some of Burton's regular collaborators, such as Johnny Depp (for Gomez), Helena Bonham-Carter, Winona Ryder, and Eva Green (all for Morticia). Of course, Burton may choose to cast a group of newcomers, so audiences will have to wait and see what happens with The Addams Family TV show before making any bets.
Source: Deadline