Streaming platform Netflix has picked up acclaimed director Tim Burton’s live-action Addams Family spin-off series focused on the memorable character of Wednesday Addams.
Titled “Wednesday”, the series marks the TV directing debut for Burton, known for helming films like “Beetlejuice”, “Edward Scissorhands” and “Alice in Wonderland”.
Billed as a coming-of-age comedy, “Wednesday” will be penned by “Smallville” creators Al Gough and Miles Millar.
Gough and Millar will also serve as showrunners and executive producers.
The series will follow Wednesday’s years as a student at Nevermore Academy, where she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability.
She is also trying to foil a monstrous killing spree that has terrorised the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents — Gomez and Morticia — 25 years ago as she navigates new, complex relationships.
Describing Wednesday as “the ultimate lone wolf” character, Teddy Biaselli, Netflix’s Director Original Series, said the show is a fresh take into the Addams Family by Gough and Miles which will be brought to life by a visionary like Burton.
“When we first heard Al Gough and Miles Millar’s pitch for ‘Wednesday’ we were struck, like an arrow from a crossbow, right in our hearts. They nailed the tone, the spirit and the characters, but gave us a fresh way into this story.
“We then got the call that visionary director and lifelong Addams Family fan Tim Burton wanted to make his television directorial debut with this series. Tim has had a history of telling empowering stories about social outsiders like Edward Scissorhands, Lydia Deitz and Batman. And now he brings his unique vision to Wednesday and her spooky classmates at Nevermore Academy,” Biaselli said.
“The Addams Family”, a cartoon series originally created in 1938 by New Jersey native Charles Addams for The New Yorker magazine, focused on a spooky family consisting of father Gomez, mother Morticia, children Wednesday and Pugsley, Uncle Fester, Grandmama, butler Lurch, and the disembodied hand Thing.
The characters have been a subject for many big, small screen and stage adaptations including a television series that ran 1964-1966, two films starring Anjelica Huston and Christopher Lloyd, that were released in 1991 and 1993 respectively, and an animated feature that premiered last year.
Christina Ricci, the actor most closely associated with Wednesday, played the character in both feature films in the 1990s.
“Wednesday” is produced by MGM/UA Television, which controls the underlying rights to the IP.
