Though The Addams Family was recently turned into a charming animated film, there is already talk of Tim Burton executive-producing and directing a new television series based on America's favorite gothic family. Since Charles Addams first invented the Addams Family characters for a comic strip in the New Yorker in the late '30s, they've been turned into a campy '60s television show, a variety of animated series, and of course, the beloved live-action films from the '90s starring Anjelica Huston as Morticia and Raul Julia as Gomez.
While many fans feel that Burton is the perfect person to bring the Addams Family to (un)life, just as many feel that since the early '00s his work has become heavy-handed and commercialized. Since partnering with Disney on numerous ventures, Burton's come a long way from Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands. Has he lost his touch? And would a different director do a better job?
Perfect: His Perspective
Looking acutely at films like Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Sleepy Hollow, viewers will find that Burton has a unique perspective when it comes to viewing those whom society finds “strange and unusual." These outcasts are celebrated in Burton films, and often espouse some of society's sterling qualities, whereas the more homogenous characters are often found to be ethically bankrupt.
One of the most salient components of any Addams Family iteration is that despite their spooky appearance, their oddball behavior, or their disturbing hobbies, the Addams family have many qualities to be admired. Gomez and Morticia are loving parents, their children are creative and well-rounded, and they have a loyal, lively family unit.
Better Alternative: Bryan Fuller
Known for creating such spine-tingling series as Hannibal, and unorthodox comedies like Pushing Daisies and Dead To Me, Bryan Fuller knows how to balance horror with humor. He isn’t afraid of taking on risks or well-known source material and moving it in new, bold directions.
Fuller is known for creating series with beautiful imagery and unexpected storylines, making him one of the most in-demand writers and showrunners working today. Since stepping away from series like American Gods and Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles, it seems he’s freed up to put his patented spin on The Addams Family.
Perfect: His Unique Visual Style
There was a time in the ‘80s and ‘90s when viewers could tell a Tim Burton film simply by its sometimes whimsical, sometimes sinister gothic aesthetic. From set design to furniture to Colleen Atwood's costumes, everything added to the unique visual style that would become Burton's signature.
From the early cartoons of the late ‘30s drawn by Charles Addams, the Addams family have always had a distinct appearance. There is something unmistakable about their presentation that would pair nicely with Burton’s style and flair, last fully embodied in 2007’s Sweeney Todd.
Better Alternative: Ryan Murphy
Ryan Murphy has become a hero to horror fans thanks to his beautifully disturbing anthology series American Horror Story. Since 2011, every season of AHS has brought a new time period, a new setting, and all new characters together to create magnetic and macabre storytelling excellence.
While AHS can be both funny and frightening, Murphy has also worked on more comedic series like Scream Queens and The Politician. He has an eye for arresting visuals and knows his way around ensemble casts, making him a natural choice for an Addams Family series.
Perfect: His Misfit Lifestyle
Up until the last 20 years, Burton was a misfit in Hollywood, doing oddball films that seemed only destined to be celebrated by a niche group of people. His biggest “blockbuster” was Batman, but he wouldn’t do anything on that scale again until he decided to partner with Disney and do Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland.
In his way, Burton is a lot like his characters Jack Skellington or Edward Scissorhands — someone who wants to be allowed to make their own artistic choices. If he can remember what it was like to be a young up-and-coming fil maker who didn’t mind taking risks, his Addams Family won’t have the same commercialized feel of his later works.
Better Alternative: Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy
Known primarily for The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy are a team that understands the importance of longform storytelling and gothic ambiance.
Flanagan has been busy in the world of horror, making such popular taut thrillers as Hush and Oculus, as well as adapting Stephen King novels like Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep. He hasn’t forayed much into the realm of film comedy, but he’s written a few humor books including 99 Honeyballs: 99 Great and Funny Cartoons..
Perfect: His Attention To Detail
The moment viewers step into the Addams family home, particularly if it’s the set of the ‘60s television series, or even from the popular ‘90s films The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, their eyes are immediately taken on a kaleidoscopic journey. From the heads of mounted beasts to the intricately carved headboard of Gomez and Morticia’s bed, nothing about the Addams’ life is mundane.
Given the obsessive nature of making stop-motion films like The Nightmare Before Christmas or The Corpse Bride, Burton has proved time and again how important even the smallest details are to him.
Better Alternative: Dan Levy
Having recently wrapped up writing, directing, and starring in the incredibly popular comedy series Schitt's Creek, Dan Levy (who acted alongside his famous comedian father Eugene Levy in the series) seems to have a break in projects that could easily be filled with The Addams Family.
Schitt's Creek (which starred Catherine O'Hara of Beetlejuice fame) managed to strike the perfect balance between funny and tear-jerking as it focused on a very eccentric family of outcasts living in a a small town after losing their wealth. Levy's strong writing and directing skills with the particular familial subject matter would be perfect for an Addams Family television adaptation.
Perfect: He Knows Creepy Comedy
In the heyday of his gothic filmmaking, Burton was known for adding whimsical humor to bring a little lighthearted flair to the darkness of his storytelling. Films like Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and even Sleepy Hollow were filled with jokes to punctuate the doom and gloom of their plots.
Even Burton’s take on things as solemn as the afterlife, as seen in The Corpse Bride (or again in Beetlejuice) are full of fun. In Burton’s world, even death isn’t something to be scared of because it’s just another grand adventure. The Addams Family has always had a similar take on the macabre.
Better Alternative: Matt And Ross Duffer
Known primarily for their work on the incredibly popular Netflix series Stranger Things, Matt and Ross Duffer have a way of bringing together childhood innocence with things that go bump in the night. The series excels on multiple levels, including as a coming-of-age drama and a supernatural adventure.
The Duffer brothers know how to get the most out of their ensemble cast, and their stories are always visually compelling and creatively provocative. Their take on The Addams Family would be inventive, fresh, and no doubt an instant classic.