New series Wednesday plays out like an eight-hour-long Tim Burton movie, according to co-creator and writer Miles Millar. Wednesday is a Netflix adaptation of The Addams Family that focuses on young pessimist Wednesday Addams as she is a student attending Nevermore Academy. Jenna Ortega stars as the titular character, alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams and Luis Guzman as Gomez. Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday Addams in the 1990s film adaptations of The Addams Family, will also star in the Netflix series. The Wednesday trailer recently revealed Fred Armisen will be offering his comedic talents to the series as Uncle Fester.
Millar co-created Wednesday with Al Gough and Burton himself. As one of the go-to directors and producers for fantasy projects that are as “kooky” as the Addams family themselves, it is no surprise that Burton lept in to take on a modern remake of The Addams Family with Wednesday. Burton’s role in Wednesday comes after a decades-long relationship with The Addams Family universe. Burton turned down directing The Addams Family movie when given the opportunity back in 1991. Burton instead went on to direct and produce several other prominent 1990s films, including Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, Ed Wood, and Sleepy Hollow. Prior to Wednesday, Burton also had plans to make a stop-motion version of The Addams Family back in 2010, but that never came to fruition either.
Burton’s long-awaited take on The Addams Family with Wednesday reportedly is “an eight hour Tim Burton movie.” Write Millar revealed this fact in a panel that Screen Rant attended from NYCC last week. Millar stated that Burton was “clear” that his vision was “not a remake” but rather an extended version of something uniquely Burton-like. Check out the full quote below:
“Tim was very clear. It's not a remake. It's an eight-hour Tim Burton movie. That was the ambition of the show.”
What We Can Expect From Tim Burton's Wednesday Addams Show
Millar’s report of “the ambition of the show” could be great news for Wednesday. Not only will Wednesday be different from other Addams Family adaptations by focusing on the daughter character, but, if this description retains its accuracy, the series will be filtered through the imagination of a visionary mind in the realm of fantasy and fantasy-horror. Straying away from the conventions of the Addams Family that audiences have grown accustomed to and taking a deeper dive into the fantasy mind of a creative who has directed unique and fascinating work such as Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas could create a fascinating and original show.
Wednesday’s originality could be another great sign for the success of the show. Wednesday has already done an exemplary job with its marketing campaign, releasing a statement of Wednesday giving some “advice” to Emmy nominees and releasing early footage to build the hype. Even though it is still a month out from release, Wednesday has already been in talks for season 2. If Burton’s creative vision for the series is truly as unique as Millar claims it to be, the show could be a major draw to both fans of Burton’s work (of which there are many) and the Addams Family characters alike. Wednesday will be available to stream on Netflix on November 23.