Tim Burton to direct Netflix’s Wednesday Addams series
Netflix has announced that Tim Burton (Alice in Wonderland) will direct the new live-action coming-of-age comedy series Wednesday that will see macabre character Wednesday from the fictional The Addams Family, created by American cartoonist Charles Addams, transform into a full fledged leading lady.
Wednesday Addams first appeared as a cartoon in the American weekly magazine The New Yorker in 1938 and has since been portrayed in television, film, and in video games, in both the live-action and animated formats. Some notable appearances of Wednesday include TV series The Addams Family (1964) – portrayed by Lisa Loring, the film The Addams Family (1991) – portrayed by Christina Ricci, Addams Family Reunion (1998) and The New Addams Family (1999) – portrayed by Nicole Fugere, Broadway musical The Addams Family (2011) – played by Rachel Potter and animated film The Addams Family (2019) – voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz.
Teddy Biaselli, Netflix’s Director Original Series said: “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.”
“The upcoming eight-episode series is a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday’s years as a student at the peculiar Nevermore Academy. Wednesday’s attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago – all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships of the strange and diverse student body.”
“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.”
Tim Burton makes his TV directorial debut with the series. The team also includes Andrew Mittman for 1.21 (The Addams Family, Alphas), Kevin Miserocchi (Tee and Charles Addams Foundation), Kayla Alpert (Code Black, Up All Night), Jonathan Glickman for Glickmania (RESPECT, Addams Family 2) and Gail Berman (The Addams Family, Alphas).