Carolyn Jones and Anjelica Huston (and the voice of Charlize Theron) came before her, and now it’s Catherine Zeta-Jones’ chance to glam it up as spooky, ooky Addams family matriarch Morticia. The Oscar winner is the latest casting addition to Tim Burton’s upcoming series for Netflix following the supernatural adventures of teenager Wednesday Addams.
While other details about the series are still scarce — Zeta-Jones is Morticia, Luis Guzmán is her hubby Gomez, and Jenna Ortega is Wednesday, and that’s about all we know so far — it seems somewhat likely that the Morticia and Gomez characters will take more of a back seat in this particular story. The eight-episode show’s not titled The Addams Family, after all, it’s Wednesday — and as Variety reminds us, Burton will very much be turning the focus on that specific character, bringing us “a supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ years as a student at Nevermore Academy. Wednesday’s attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorised the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago — all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore.”
There are definitely some Chilling Adventures of Sabrina-type vibes coming off that description, and after some career detours involving Johnny Depp covered in special effects make-up and a live-action Disney flying elephant, it’s exciting to consider what Tim Burton could create by really embracing a return to his goth roots. He’ll executive produce and direct alongside Wednesday creators and showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar; so far there’s no word yet on when the series might finger-snap its way to Netflix.
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