Are moviegoers really clamoring for more of the ghost with the most? Tim Burton and Warner Bros. certainly think so. After dropping a disappointingly tepid teaser trailer last March, the Goth King of Hollywood (who probably single-handedly kept the ubiquitous shopping mall mainstay Hot Topic in business) has just unleashed a full theatrical trailer that, hopefully, whets fans' appetite for another ghoulish, antic-filled adventure headlined by the always game Michael Keaton.
For those of us who came of age during Burton's bizarro Hollywood auteur era (which kicked off with 1985's timeless classic "Pee Wee's Big Adventure), we're hoping one of the most visually distinct filmmakers in the history of the medium has rediscovered his macabre mojo. "Beetlejuice" (which he once described as his anti-Spielberg film), "Edward Scissorhands," and his two Batman movies looked completely unlike any other studio productions. They played like live-action Charles Addams illustrations -- yes,...
For those of us who came of age during Burton's bizarro Hollywood auteur era (which kicked off with 1985's timeless classic "Pee Wee's Big Adventure), we're hoping one of the most visually distinct filmmakers in the history of the medium has rediscovered his macabre mojo. "Beetlejuice" (which he once described as his anti-Spielberg film), "Edward Scissorhands," and his two Batman movies looked completely unlike any other studio productions. They played like live-action Charles Addams illustrations -- yes,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The first Charles Addams' strip that might be considered a part of the Addams Family canon was published in the pages of the New Yorker on August 6, 1938. In it, a vacuum cleaner salesman stands just inside a large, creepy, obviously haunted mansion, addressing the denizens, a cadaverous vampire woman and a brutish bearded man. The salesman, unperturbed by his grim surroundings offers his sales pitch, declares that no well-appointed home should be without such an appliance.
58 of Addams' 1,300 cartoon strips would feature his oddball Family, a nameless clan of ghouls who cherished horror and death. Throughout the '40s, a central canon of Family members would solidify, and come to include a squat, beastly patriarch, his skeletal wife, their two murderous children, a witchy grandmother, a fecklessly weird bald uncle, and their Frankensteinian live-in butler. In Addams' strips, the Family would talk about how much they loved destructive storms, how...
58 of Addams' 1,300 cartoon strips would feature his oddball Family, a nameless clan of ghouls who cherished horror and death. Throughout the '40s, a central canon of Family members would solidify, and come to include a squat, beastly patriarch, his skeletal wife, their two murderous children, a witchy grandmother, a fecklessly weird bald uncle, and their Frankensteinian live-in butler. In Addams' strips, the Family would talk about how much they loved destructive storms, how...
- 5/18/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
I think of director Barry Sonnenfeld's "The Addams Family" and "Addams Family Values" the same way I think of director Tim Burton's "Batman" and "Batman Returns." In each case, the first movie operates as more of a test run for what the filmmakers can do with the property they're adapting, whereas the sequels allow them to really let their darkly off-kilter creative sensibilities run wild.
To be sure, 1993's "Addams Family Values" is the zanier of Sonnenfeld's takes on the "Addams Family" franchise, which originated with Charles Addams' original comic panels for The New Yorker dating back to the '30s. While its predecessor has a fairly basic plot, "Values" pits the eponymous clan against a dastardly black widow -- played to camp perfection by Joan Cusack -- who's out to marry and then murder wealthy Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd). It's also the film that fully embraces the...
To be sure, 1993's "Addams Family Values" is the zanier of Sonnenfeld's takes on the "Addams Family" franchise, which originated with Charles Addams' original comic panels for The New Yorker dating back to the '30s. While its predecessor has a fairly basic plot, "Values" pits the eponymous clan against a dastardly black widow -- played to camp perfection by Joan Cusack -- who's out to marry and then murder wealthy Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd). It's also the film that fully embraces the...
- 5/6/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
My favorite comic strips are the ones where the characters' physicality has no basis in reality. Think of Calvin's untenable head-to-body-size ratio in "Calvin and Hobbes" or how every living creature in "The Far Side" is built like a pillow with sticks for arms and legs. The funny pages, like animation, have no real limits when it comes to the physics of their worlds, so why should their inhabitants be any different?
Charles Addams, in particular, wholly embraced this idea and ran with it while drawing his off-kilter, satirical "Addams Family" comic panels for The New Yorker from the 1930s up until his death in the '80s. The titular clan of ghoulish aristocrats embodied everything that stereotypical white American families did not in the 20th century, which manifested itself in their appearances. The Addamses had preternaturally oblong or round faces and builds. Most notably, the stocky, pale-white Uncle Fester...
Charles Addams, in particular, wholly embraced this idea and ran with it while drawing his off-kilter, satirical "Addams Family" comic panels for The New Yorker from the 1930s up until his death in the '80s. The titular clan of ghoulish aristocrats embodied everything that stereotypical white American families did not in the 20th century, which manifested itself in their appearances. The Addamses had preternaturally oblong or round faces and builds. Most notably, the stocky, pale-white Uncle Fester...
- 4/27/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Jenna Ortega seems to be all set up for reprising her role in Netflix’s hit show Wednesday — but, despite starring in a renewed version of the famous story, she seems to be pretty much inspired by Addams Family’s iconic images from the past.
As the Netflix’s series brings in a whole bunch of new faces that have never appeared before, one particular character from one of the previous shows seems to be unfairly forgotten — and the actress really wants to make it up to him.
In a feature for Netflix Tudum, Ortega revealed that she had high hopes for bringing Cousin Itt back to the screens — the character’s first appearance was marked by the 1964 series The Addams Family as Cousin Itt was never created by the story’s original cartoonist Charles Addams.
Cousin Itt happens to be the Addams’ distant relative that pays them a visit every so often.
As the Netflix’s series brings in a whole bunch of new faces that have never appeared before, one particular character from one of the previous shows seems to be unfairly forgotten — and the actress really wants to make it up to him.
In a feature for Netflix Tudum, Ortega revealed that she had high hopes for bringing Cousin Itt back to the screens — the character’s first appearance was marked by the 1964 series The Addams Family as Cousin Itt was never created by the story’s original cartoonist Charles Addams.
Cousin Itt happens to be the Addams’ distant relative that pays them a visit every so often.
- 4/19/2024
- by benjamin-patel@startefacts.com (Benjamin Patel)
- STartefacts.com
Barry Sonnenfeld's 1991 film adaptation of "The Addams Family" came out right when pop Goth fashion was hitting the mainstream. Goth culture, of course, first evolved in England during the rise of bands like Siouxsie & the Banshees, Bauhaus, and The Cure, and Goth characters started appearing in American horror movies in the mid-1980s. One of the first mainstream Gothic film icons of the time was probably Lydia Deetz, the character played by Winona Ryder in Tim Burton's 1988 film "Beetlejuice." After that, '90s teens began to affect a whimsical adoration of the macabre, and Tim Burton's films exploded in popularity. In fact, his 1989 rendition of "Batman" owes more to Goth culture than to comic books.
"The Addams Family," based on the 1960s sitcom and the comic strips by Charles Addams, was eaten up by a Goth-loving public. Audiences were ready to reject old-world, Reagan-era squareness and...
"The Addams Family," based on the 1960s sitcom and the comic strips by Charles Addams, was eaten up by a Goth-loving public. Audiences were ready to reject old-world, Reagan-era squareness and...
- 4/19/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
“Wednesday’s child is full of woe.”
When Charles Addams was helping turn his amusing gothic New Yorker cartoons into a television series, the little girl needed a name, and he used a line from an old-time children’s poem. He’d been at the drawing board with these characters since 1938, although Gomez and Morticia’s daughter didn’t arrive until 1944. At different times, she was older or younger than her sibling, Pugsley.
Ever since her arrival, Wednesday has been a fixture, her pale skin, pig-tailed black hair, and solemn expression imprinted on future generations of Goth girls. From Lisa Loring to Christina Ricci, the live-action look has endured as the character has aged from her purported six years old in the original series pilot to 18 in the 2010 Broadway musical adaptation.
Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, no strangers to teenage angst after a decade-plus at Smallville, settled on a 15-...
When Charles Addams was helping turn his amusing gothic New Yorker cartoons into a television series, the little girl needed a name, and he used a line from an old-time children’s poem. He’d been at the drawing board with these characters since 1938, although Gomez and Morticia’s daughter didn’t arrive until 1944. At different times, she was older or younger than her sibling, Pugsley.
Ever since her arrival, Wednesday has been a fixture, her pale skin, pig-tailed black hair, and solemn expression imprinted on future generations of Goth girls. From Lisa Loring to Christina Ricci, the live-action look has endured as the character has aged from her purported six years old in the original series pilot to 18 in the 2010 Broadway musical adaptation.
Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, no strangers to teenage angst after a decade-plus at Smallville, settled on a 15-...
- 3/25/2024
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Charles Addams' very first Addams Family comic strip -- or at least a proto-version of the Family -- appeared in the pages of the New Yorker in 1938. In the strip, a vampire-like woman stands next to a large, bearded, brutish man at the foot of a staircase in a haunted mansion. Bats fly overhead and spider webs adorn the light fixtures. A creepy third member of the family peers down through a railing high above. Standing at the door is an eager, white-suited vacuum cleaner salesman attempting to hawk his wares. "Vibrationless, noiseless, and a great time and back saver. No well-appointed home should be without it," the salesman says. He is unperturbed to be in a haunted house, and presses on with his sales pitch, even though the manse has clearly never been swept.
Charles Addams would revisit these creepy characters regularly, eventually settling on a core cast of characters.
Charles Addams would revisit these creepy characters regularly, eventually settling on a core cast of characters.
- 3/24/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Barry Sonnenfeld's 1991 film "The Addams Family," based on the New Yorker comic strips by Chas Addams and extrapolated from the 1964 sitcom of the same name, was a pop culture clarion call for aspiring young goths the world over. The Addams Family were a gaggle of murderous weirds who lived in a haunted mansion, kept a severed human hand as a pet, and regularly engaged in cute family games wherein they exhumed long-dead relatives. They loved blood, sex, and magic. It's possible they were immortal; the young Wednesday (Christina Ricci) regularly murdered her brother Pugsley (Jimmy Workman). Morticia (Anjelica Huston) and Gomez (Raul Julia) were sexually active to an enviable degree, perhaps standing as one of the healthiest, most sex-positive couples in movies at the time. They were full of zest and joie de vivre. Only they were obsessed with death, so perhaps the term should be joie de mourir.
- 3/17/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Ah, "The Addams Family." They're creepy and they're kooky. Mysterious and spooky. They're all together ooky. And so on. The ghoulish Addamses were created by cartoonist Charles Addams in the pages of The New Yorker before Hollywood came calling, adapting Addams' comics into a TV series in 1964. The series followed a family of weirdos who live every day like it's Halloween, much to the confusion of the normal folks all around them. The original "The Addams Family" series lasted only two seasons, running between 1964 and 1966, but its impact and influence continued for decades.
Sadly, the majority of the original cast of "The Addams Family" are no longer with us. But there's one main player who is still around.
Read more: Actors Who Damaged Their Bodies Forever For A Movie Role
John Astin (Gomez Addams)
John Astin played Gomez Addams on the show. A former lawyer and frequent cigar smoker, Gomez...
Sadly, the majority of the original cast of "The Addams Family" are no longer with us. But there's one main player who is still around.
Read more: Actors Who Damaged Their Bodies Forever For A Movie Role
John Astin (Gomez Addams)
John Astin played Gomez Addams on the show. A former lawyer and frequent cigar smoker, Gomez...
- 2/25/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Jenna Ortega is doing visibly well in Hollywood. Starting her career at the early age of 9, the actress catapulted her fame with her appearance in the Scream franchise and Netflix’s Wednesday. After working with Tim Burton once, for her Netflix show, Ortega is now set to work with him once again, in his Beetlejuice sequel.
Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams
While Jenna Ortega is currently preparing for her upcoming role, she appeared in the 30th annual Hollywood Issue of Vanity Fair, alongside 10 other vibrant stars, to seize the moment. During her interview, Ortega looked back on Wednesday, which turned her into an overnight sensation. Recalling the overwhelming feeling following the show’s success, the actress noted the difficulties she faced in coping with the popularity.
Jenna Ortega Addressed the Aftermath of Wednesday’s Success
Beginning her career as a child actor and starring in Disney Channel shows like Stuck in the Middle...
Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams
While Jenna Ortega is currently preparing for her upcoming role, she appeared in the 30th annual Hollywood Issue of Vanity Fair, alongside 10 other vibrant stars, to seize the moment. During her interview, Ortega looked back on Wednesday, which turned her into an overnight sensation. Recalling the overwhelming feeling following the show’s success, the actress noted the difficulties she faced in coping with the popularity.
Jenna Ortega Addressed the Aftermath of Wednesday’s Success
Beginning her career as a child actor and starring in Disney Channel shows like Stuck in the Middle...
- 2/23/2024
- by Krittika Mukherjee
- FandomWire
Tim Burton loves to make things spooky and morbid, but his favorite holiday might well be Christmas. Look at how many of his films take place during the Yuletide season: "Batman Returns," "Edward Scissorhands," etc. He also conceived of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," which is all about Halloween Town's top ghoul, Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon), getting Christmas fever. While Burton handed off directing duties of the stop-motion picture to Henry Selick, it's easy to see his fingerprints and why he would empathize with Jack.
David A. Bossert's "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Visual Companion" was released this year for the film's 30th anniversary. The book features interviews with the film's crew, from Selick to Art Director Kelly Asbury, where they describe forming the film's distinct visual style — since there were multiple holiday-themed dimensions, they couldn't stick to just one aesthetic.
For Halloween Town, though, they took after Burton's...
David A. Bossert's "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Visual Companion" was released this year for the film's 30th anniversary. The book features interviews with the film's crew, from Selick to Art Director Kelly Asbury, where they describe forming the film's distinct visual style — since there were multiple holiday-themed dimensions, they couldn't stick to just one aesthetic.
For Halloween Town, though, they took after Burton's...
- 11/27/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
This story about “Wednesday” costume designer Colleen Atwood first appeared in the Down to the Wire: Comedy issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
When Colleen Atwood was a child, her parents had a Charles Addams sketch hanging on a wall in their home. So when the four-time Oscar winner was hired to design the costumes for Netflix’s “Wednesday,” she was well acquainted with the world of the amusingly macabre clan that Addams first created in comic strip form in 1938.
For Atwood, the challenge was to honor that legacy while bringing Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday and Pugsley Addams (plus Thing!) into the 21st century.
“My vision for the costumes was a contemporary connectivity feeling, for young people to see the Addams family as people, as opposed to cartoonish,” she said.
Emma Myers and Jenna Ortega in “Wednesday” (Netflix)
“Wednesday” is Atwood’s fifteenth collaboration with Tim Burton, who exec-produced the series...
When Colleen Atwood was a child, her parents had a Charles Addams sketch hanging on a wall in their home. So when the four-time Oscar winner was hired to design the costumes for Netflix’s “Wednesday,” she was well acquainted with the world of the amusingly macabre clan that Addams first created in comic strip form in 1938.
For Atwood, the challenge was to honor that legacy while bringing Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday and Pugsley Addams (plus Thing!) into the 21st century.
“My vision for the costumes was a contemporary connectivity feeling, for young people to see the Addams family as people, as opposed to cartoonish,” she said.
Emma Myers and Jenna Ortega in “Wednesday” (Netflix)
“Wednesday” is Atwood’s fifteenth collaboration with Tim Burton, who exec-produced the series...
- 8/11/2023
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
When Emmy nominations were announced on July 12, artisans in the craft categories made a splash in more ways than one — some landed multiple nominations in several categories, others inched closer to achieving Egot status and many received first-time recognition.
Here, Variety looks at some of the contenders in the Creative Art categories.
Multiple Nods
Editor Stephanie Filo landed three nominations this year in two different categories. She is up for Netflix’s “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” in the editing in a limited or anthology. series category, HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and Hulu’s “History of the World, Part II” in the picture editing for variety programming slot. With the latter two, she will be going up against editors from NBC’s “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter,” Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” and the editors of “Saturday Night Live.”
Filo is...
Here, Variety looks at some of the contenders in the Creative Art categories.
Multiple Nods
Editor Stephanie Filo landed three nominations this year in two different categories. She is up for Netflix’s “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” in the editing in a limited or anthology. series category, HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and Hulu’s “History of the World, Part II” in the picture editing for variety programming slot. With the latter two, she will be going up against editors from NBC’s “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter,” Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” and the editors of “Saturday Night Live.”
Filo is...
- 8/2/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
The Addams Family is one of the most famous American families, regardless of whether they are real or fictional. Originally created by American cartoonist Charles Addams for a comic strip on The New Yorker, the Addams are a satirical inversion of the idea of a middle-class American family in the post-war years, one that inadvertently became an introduction to goth culture for generations of kids. Though there have been many different iterations of "The Addams Family," the core cast of characters has remained rather static for over 80 years. Sure, a character or two have been introduced since then, like Cousin Itt in the '60s TV show and Thing in a '50s story, but for the most part, it's the same family all the time.
This means Netflix's surprise dance hit "Wednesday" doesn't have many options to choose from if they're to bring in other members of the family in season two.
This means Netflix's surprise dance hit "Wednesday" doesn't have many options to choose from if they're to bring in other members of the family in season two.
- 7/23/2023
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
With her 2023 Emmy nomination for Netflix’s Wednesday, Jenna Ortega becomes the second-youngest nominee for best lead actress in a comedy.
Ortega, at 20, is only older than Patty Duke, who was 17 at the time of her Emmy nomination in 1964 for her eponymous series, The Patty Duke Show. While The Patty Duke show was a sitcom, Duke was nominated before the Emmys split the actress race between comedy and drama. At the time, it was an award for “Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series.”
Ortega, a Gen Z horror staple in films like Scream and X, broke out as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix comedy about the classic misanthrope created by Charles Addams, the first four episodes of which were helmed by Tim Burton (who will also direct Ortega in the upcoming sequel to his 1988 film Beetlejuice). The series mostly removes Wednesday from her famous family and drops her into Nevermore Academy,...
Ortega, at 20, is only older than Patty Duke, who was 17 at the time of her Emmy nomination in 1964 for her eponymous series, The Patty Duke Show. While The Patty Duke show was a sitcom, Duke was nominated before the Emmys split the actress race between comedy and drama. At the time, it was an award for “Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series.”
Ortega, a Gen Z horror staple in films like Scream and X, broke out as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix comedy about the classic misanthrope created by Charles Addams, the first four episodes of which were helmed by Tim Burton (who will also direct Ortega in the upcoming sequel to his 1988 film Beetlejuice). The series mostly removes Wednesday from her famous family and drops her into Nevermore Academy,...
- 7/12/2023
- by Esther Zuckerman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix has said yes to a second season of Wednesday, which has made fans wonder what’s next. So far, we’ve seen Wednesday Addams, the brave and mysterious girl, go through a lot. She’s been chased, scared, and hurt. As her story is set to carry on, it seems like there’s more excitement on the way at her school, Nevermore Academy. Wednesday is a Netflix show based on characters by Charles Addams. Jenna Ortega, who plays Wednesday Addams, gained critical acclaim and global popularity for her portrayal of the titular character. For fans missing Wednesday and Nevermore Academy, here’s everything we...
- 7/5/2023
- by Ashlee Manalang
- TVovermind.com
The year was 2001. Catherine Zeta-Jones had yet to do the table read for Rob Marshall’s “Chicago” or even meet co-star Renée Zellweger. But she recalls being in Toronto, walking down a long hallway and entering costume designer Colleen Atwood’s fitting space: “There was an explosion of costumes and fishnet tights.”
And thus an enduring collaboration between thespian and costume designer was born. Both would go on to win Oscars for their work on the film. Zeta-Jones would call on Atwood to design her outfit for the 2002 Academy Awards when the actor was days away from giving birth.
It would be two decades before they officially reunited for Netflix’s “Wednesday.”
For this collaboration, Atwood had to bring back the iconic Addams Family, first made famous by cartoonist Charles Addams. Since then, there have been countless iterations of the creepy, kooky family. Atwood, whose credits include Tim Burton’s...
And thus an enduring collaboration between thespian and costume designer was born. Both would go on to win Oscars for their work on the film. Zeta-Jones would call on Atwood to design her outfit for the 2002 Academy Awards when the actor was days away from giving birth.
It would be two decades before they officially reunited for Netflix’s “Wednesday.”
For this collaboration, Atwood had to bring back the iconic Addams Family, first made famous by cartoonist Charles Addams. Since then, there have been countless iterations of the creepy, kooky family. Atwood, whose credits include Tim Burton’s...
- 6/13/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
This story about the production design of “Wednesday” first appeared in the Comedy Series issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
Creepy. Kooky. Spooky. Ooky. All of these adjectives are naturally in play when you’re adapting a spinoff series of “The Addams Family” — even more so when Tim Burton is your boss. For “Wednesday” production designer Mark Scruton, that made him as happy as Wednesday Addams witnessing a torture chamber.
“When I got this gig, I very consciously did not watch any of [the past adaptations],” Scruton said. “I did go back to the Charles Addams cartoons very specifically, but we wanted to take it back to that original core look and aesthetic. Tim responds to his heart and he’s a minimalist and likes things very precise and composed, rather than lots of background fluff, so it was a great jumping-off point for us.”
Ophelia Hall dorm room sketch (Provided by Neflix...
Creepy. Kooky. Spooky. Ooky. All of these adjectives are naturally in play when you’re adapting a spinoff series of “The Addams Family” — even more so when Tim Burton is your boss. For “Wednesday” production designer Mark Scruton, that made him as happy as Wednesday Addams witnessing a torture chamber.
“When I got this gig, I very consciously did not watch any of [the past adaptations],” Scruton said. “I did go back to the Charles Addams cartoons very specifically, but we wanted to take it back to that original core look and aesthetic. Tim responds to his heart and he’s a minimalist and likes things very precise and composed, rather than lots of background fluff, so it was a great jumping-off point for us.”
Ophelia Hall dorm room sketch (Provided by Neflix...
- 6/9/2023
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
Wednesday showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar remember vividly the unusual circumstances of their first conversation with Tim Burton. The filmmaker, who they hoped they could convince to join their show, was piping in from a garden full of “life-size” dinosaur models at his U.K. home. “He was wandering around his dinosaur garden talking to us on FaceTime about his love of Wednesday Addams, and the idea that the script spoke to him in terms of being the ultimate outsider,” remembers Millar of this virtual meeting in 2020 with Burton. Just a week before, the duo were doubtful Burton would even meet with them. They had already written the entire season with the help of a pandemic-era virtual writers room, but wanted Burton’s expertise and special touches. “We were told by everyone, ‘Tim’s never done television. We don’t even know if he’ll read it,’ ” recalls Gough.
- 6/7/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Image Source: Netflix
Jenna Ortega is sharing some major insight into "Wednesday" season two. "It's still coming together, but we've decided we want to lean into the horror more," Ortega, who stars as Wednesday, told Elle Fanning in an article published by Variety on June 7 as part of their "Actors on Actors" series. "We're ditching any romantic love interest, which is really great. We're going to get bolder, more dark."
Netflix announced the show had officially been renewed on Jan. 6, with a short teaser featuring footage of Ortega alongside scenes from the show and clips of fan events. The video also used Lady Gaga's "Bloody Mary" as its soundtrack, a song that became associated with the show on TikTok. "The global phenomenon will return for season two," Netflix said in the clip.
More torture is coming. Lucky you. pic.twitter.com/t11LptFk7e
- Wednesday Addams (@wednesdayaddams) January 6, 2023
Just a day before,...
Jenna Ortega is sharing some major insight into "Wednesday" season two. "It's still coming together, but we've decided we want to lean into the horror more," Ortega, who stars as Wednesday, told Elle Fanning in an article published by Variety on June 7 as part of their "Actors on Actors" series. "We're ditching any romantic love interest, which is really great. We're going to get bolder, more dark."
Netflix announced the show had officially been renewed on Jan. 6, with a short teaser featuring footage of Ortega alongside scenes from the show and clips of fan events. The video also used Lady Gaga's "Bloody Mary" as its soundtrack, a song that became associated with the show on TikTok. "The global phenomenon will return for season two," Netflix said in the clip.
More torture is coming. Lucky you. pic.twitter.com/t11LptFk7e
- Wednesday Addams (@wednesdayaddams) January 6, 2023
Just a day before,...
- 6/7/2023
- by Victoria Edel
- Popsugar.com
This story about “Wednesday” originally appeared in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. The interview was conducted before the writers’ strike.
“Wednesday” is Alfred Gough and Miles Millar’s reinvention of the Addams Family characters first created by Charles Addams in 1938 and made famous by the 1964 television show. In Gough and Millar’s version, young Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) is sent away to Nevermore Academy, a school for misfits where she gets embroiled in a mystery stretched across two timelines, uncovers the identity of a murderous monster and makes some great friends along the way.
If this sounds like an irresistible premise, it is: The show almost instantly broke Netflix viewing records. By the third week of release, it became the second most-watched English-language Netflix series ever. It seemed just as ubiquitous on social media, as countless fans on TikTok replicated Ortega’s memorable dance moves (set...
“Wednesday” is Alfred Gough and Miles Millar’s reinvention of the Addams Family characters first created by Charles Addams in 1938 and made famous by the 1964 television show. In Gough and Millar’s version, young Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) is sent away to Nevermore Academy, a school for misfits where she gets embroiled in a mystery stretched across two timelines, uncovers the identity of a murderous monster and makes some great friends along the way.
If this sounds like an irresistible premise, it is: The show almost instantly broke Netflix viewing records. By the third week of release, it became the second most-watched English-language Netflix series ever. It seemed just as ubiquitous on social media, as countless fans on TikTok replicated Ortega’s memorable dance moves (set...
- 5/30/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Welcome to It’s a Hit! In this series, IndieWire speaks to creators and showrunners behind a few of our favorite television programs about the moment they realized their show was breaking big.
“Even though we thought it was a no-brainer, a lot of people clearly didn’t,” said “Wednesday” co-creator Miles Millar of he and writing partner Al Gough’s years-long experience trying to sell the series that would eventually become Netflix’s newest global phenomenon. “We thought, ‘Oh well maybe it’ll be a YA hit, more like an elevated CW show,’ but then it became much, much more than that. We never anticipated the level of impact and reaction it had.”
To briefly cover the timeline from Gough and Millar’s perspective, they had first come up with the idea for an Addams Family spin-off where daughter Wednesday goes to a supernatural boarding school full of mysteries...
“Even though we thought it was a no-brainer, a lot of people clearly didn’t,” said “Wednesday” co-creator Miles Millar of he and writing partner Al Gough’s years-long experience trying to sell the series that would eventually become Netflix’s newest global phenomenon. “We thought, ‘Oh well maybe it’ll be a YA hit, more like an elevated CW show,’ but then it became much, much more than that. We never anticipated the level of impact and reaction it had.”
To briefly cover the timeline from Gough and Millar’s perspective, they had first come up with the idea for an Addams Family spin-off where daughter Wednesday goes to a supernatural boarding school full of mysteries...
- 5/25/2023
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Composer Danny Elfman has expressed his excitement about returning to the world of Beetlejuice, the iconic 1988 film on which he partnered with longtime filmmaking collaborator Tim Burton.
“I love being a fly on the wall when he’s shooting. I’ll be doing that in a couple of months, as you may know, on another Tim Burton project,” said Elfman during the taping for an upcoming episode of Deadline’s The Process, alluding to the sequel. “That is very exciting, to return to that world.”
Elfman shared that someone recently asked him, “Really, after all these years? Michael Keaton?”, referring to the actor’s return as the titular ghoul. “I said, ‘He’s not even going to look that much different. That’s the beauty of the Beetlejuice makeup. He already looked like he was 150 in the first one.'”
Continued Elfman, “It’s perfect, you know? Everybody else has to play the next generation,...
“I love being a fly on the wall when he’s shooting. I’ll be doing that in a couple of months, as you may know, on another Tim Burton project,” said Elfman during the taping for an upcoming episode of Deadline’s The Process, alluding to the sequel. “That is very exciting, to return to that world.”
Elfman shared that someone recently asked him, “Really, after all these years? Michael Keaton?”, referring to the actor’s return as the titular ghoul. “I said, ‘He’s not even going to look that much different. That’s the beauty of the Beetlejuice makeup. He already looked like he was 150 in the first one.'”
Continued Elfman, “It’s perfect, you know? Everybody else has to play the next generation,...
- 5/3/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Jenna Ortega has said that she had to put her “foot down” after reading Wednesday’s script.
The 20-year-old actor leads Netflix’s hit comedy-horror series as Wednesday Addams.
Since the show’s November 2022 release, it’s become the streamer’s second biggest English-language series ever.
However, before it went on to shatter streaming records, its early scripts apparently needed a lot of editing, according to Ortega.
“When I read the entire series, I realised, ‘Oh, this is for younger audiences,’” Ortega told Dax Shepard on a recent episode of his Armchair Expert podcast.
“When I first signed onto the show, I didn’t have all the scripts. I thought it was going to be a lot darker. It wasn’t… I didn’t know what the tone was, or what the score would sound like.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had to put my foot down more...
The 20-year-old actor leads Netflix’s hit comedy-horror series as Wednesday Addams.
Since the show’s November 2022 release, it’s become the streamer’s second biggest English-language series ever.
However, before it went on to shatter streaming records, its early scripts apparently needed a lot of editing, according to Ortega.
“When I read the entire series, I realised, ‘Oh, this is for younger audiences,’” Ortega told Dax Shepard on a recent episode of his Armchair Expert podcast.
“When I first signed onto the show, I didn’t have all the scripts. I thought it was going to be a lot darker. It wasn’t… I didn’t know what the tone was, or what the score would sound like.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had to put my foot down more...
- 3/7/2023
- by Inga Parkel
- The Independent - TV
In the 16 years since 22-year-old America Ferrera was honored by the Screen Actors Guild for her work on “Ugly Betty,” she has held tight to the record for youngest individual SAG Award winner for TV. Until this year she was also the youngest nominee in the history of the comedy actress category, but she has now been bumped down a spot by 20-year-old “Wednesday” star Jenna Ortega. If Ortega triumphs on her bid, she will not only break Ferrera’s winning record but also land in second place behind Kate Winslet on the list of youngest solo SAG Award recipients for film or TV acting.
Ortega is the youngest 2023 comedy actress contender by a margin of 12 years. Included among her challengers are concurrent ensemble nominees Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”) and Jean Smart (“Hacks”), the former of whom stands with Ortega as a SAG Awards newcomer. Smart is seeking her second...
Ortega is the youngest 2023 comedy actress contender by a margin of 12 years. Included among her challengers are concurrent ensemble nominees Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”) and Jean Smart (“Hacks”), the former of whom stands with Ortega as a SAG Awards newcomer. Smart is seeking her second...
- 2/16/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
On the first official day of New York Fashion Week, Rodarte already may have scored the season’s best front row, a powerhouse collection of women that included Brie Larson, Natasha Lyonne, Quinta Brunson, Beanie Feldstein, Aurora James, Rowan Blanchard and Molly Ringwald, accompanied by her 19-year-old daughter, Matilda. And for that starry group, Kate and Laura Mulleavy offered something for everyone in a show that blended elements of gothic romance, woodland fairies and ’60s-influenced styling in equal measure.
The Mulleavy sisters are often driven by art-inspired influences, and for their Fall/Winter 2023 collection, they turned to the source of that passion: their mother, Victoria, an artist whose maiden name, Rodart, spawned the brand’s appellation. “We asked our mother to create really beautiful fairies for a collection,” Laura told The Hollywood Reporter backstage after the show. “She decided to do one a day and did them all in colored pencil,...
The Mulleavy sisters are often driven by art-inspired influences, and for their Fall/Winter 2023 collection, they turned to the source of that passion: their mother, Victoria, an artist whose maiden name, Rodart, spawned the brand’s appellation. “We asked our mother to create really beautiful fairies for a collection,” Laura told The Hollywood Reporter backstage after the show. “She decided to do one a day and did them all in colored pencil,...
- 2/12/2023
- by Laurie Brookins
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lisa Loring, the first actor to play the iconic role of Wednesday in “The Addams Family” franchise, died January 28. She was 64.
The news was reported by her friend Laurie Jacobson, who shared on Facebook that Jacobson suffered a stroke that put her on life support before her family made the decision to take her off.
“Beautiful, kind, a loving mother, Lisa’s legacy in the world of entertainment is huge,” Jacobson’s tribute reads. “And the legacy for her family and friends — a wealth of humor, affection and love will long play in our memories. Rip, Lisa. Damn, girl…you were a ton of fun.”
Loring was six years old when “The Addams Family” premiered on ABC in 1964. Based on The New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams, the series focused on the titular family, a bizarre clan of wealthy aristocrats with a love of the macabre. The series, which ran for two seasons and 64 episodes,...
The news was reported by her friend Laurie Jacobson, who shared on Facebook that Jacobson suffered a stroke that put her on life support before her family made the decision to take her off.
“Beautiful, kind, a loving mother, Lisa’s legacy in the world of entertainment is huge,” Jacobson’s tribute reads. “And the legacy for her family and friends — a wealth of humor, affection and love will long play in our memories. Rip, Lisa. Damn, girl…you were a ton of fun.”
Loring was six years old when “The Addams Family” premiered on ABC in 1964. Based on The New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams, the series focused on the titular family, a bizarre clan of wealthy aristocrats with a love of the macabre. The series, which ran for two seasons and 64 episodes,...
- 1/30/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Lisa Loring, best known for being the first person to play Wednesday Addams on the original "The Addams Family" sitcom, has died. She was 64. Loring began her career as a child, first starting out as a child model at age three before appearing on an episode of the 1960s TV series "Dr. Kildare." When Loring was six she landed the role of the gloomy child Wednesday Addams on "The Addams Family," which ran from 1964 through 1966. Loring would also return to the role for reunion specials, including "Halloween with the New Addams Family" in 1977.
"I learned to memorize before I could read," she said in regard to learning her lines. She went on to say:
"I didn't know how to read yet, I hadn't been to first grade, so [producer David Levy] wasn't prepared to see children that young, that he didn't know. But I had my hair down to here [indicates her waist], my mother put...
"I learned to memorize before I could read," she said in regard to learning her lines. She went on to say:
"I didn't know how to read yet, I hadn't been to first grade, so [producer David Levy] wasn't prepared to see children that young, that he didn't know. But I had my hair down to here [indicates her waist], my mother put...
- 1/30/2023
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Joy Sunday, who stars as Bianca Barclay in the Netflix series Wednesday, has an unattainable crush. Though the actor’s character has enough of a woeful time winning the affections of Wednesday’s Xavier (Percy Hynes White), even Bianca’s siren song isn’t going to win her the heart of this literary hero.
Wednesday star Joy Sunday | Presley Ann/Getty Images for Netflix Joy Sunday stars as Bianca Barclay in the Netflix series ‘Wednesday’
Undoubtedly, fans know Sunday best for her role as the silver-eyed siren in the Netflix series Wednesday. Introduced in the show as “the closest thing to Nevermore royalty,” Bianca is the coolest girl in school.
As the idea of popularity is mainly based upon the opinion of those who think about things like popularity, Bianca isn’t much of a fan of the socially disinterested Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega). Bianca’s dislike for Wednesday only...
Wednesday star Joy Sunday | Presley Ann/Getty Images for Netflix Joy Sunday stars as Bianca Barclay in the Netflix series ‘Wednesday’
Undoubtedly, fans know Sunday best for her role as the silver-eyed siren in the Netflix series Wednesday. Introduced in the show as “the closest thing to Nevermore royalty,” Bianca is the coolest girl in school.
As the idea of popularity is mainly based upon the opinion of those who think about things like popularity, Bianca isn’t much of a fan of the socially disinterested Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega). Bianca’s dislike for Wednesday only...
- 1/28/2023
- by Lindsay Kusiak
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Reports of the death of “Wednesday” at Netflix have been greatly exaggerated. Just days after the spread of rumors that the “Addams Family” teen series might leave the streamer for its rival, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix finally gave a second season renewal to the series January 6, confirming that it would air “Only on Netflix.”
“It’s been incredible to create a show that has connected with people across the world,” showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar said in a statement to Netflix’s official fandom website Tudum. “Thrilled to continue Wednesday’s tortuous journey into season two. We can’t wait to dive headfirst into another season and explore the kooky spooky world of Nevermore. Just need to make sure Wednesday hasn’t emptied the pool first.”
Since its eight-episode first season premiered on November 23, “Wednesday” has been touted by Netflix as one of its all-time most successful series, breaking...
“It’s been incredible to create a show that has connected with people across the world,” showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar said in a statement to Netflix’s official fandom website Tudum. “Thrilled to continue Wednesday’s tortuous journey into season two. We can’t wait to dive headfirst into another season and explore the kooky spooky world of Nevermore. Just need to make sure Wednesday hasn’t emptied the pool first.”
Since its eight-episode first season premiered on November 23, “Wednesday” has been touted by Netflix as one of its all-time most successful series, breaking...
- 1/6/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
This just in from the No Duh desk: Netflix has ordered a second season of Wednesday.
The Jenna Ortega-starrer from MGM Television crossed the 1B hours viewed mark – only the third show to do that on Netflix – in less than a month and overtook Dahmer to become the second most-watched U.S. show behind season four of Stranger Things.
For the remaining few who haven’t watched, Wednesday offers a new take on The Addams Family — the classic cartoon strip that was created by Charles Addams which ultimately became a ’60s sitcom and a ’90s feature film. Wednesday ranks No. 2 on the most popular (English) TV list with 1.237 billion hours viewed within its first 28 days.
What’s most unique about the series is how one of Netflix’s biggest rivals, Amazon, is responsible for the series after it closed a 8.5B deal to buy MGM. MGM TV has since...
The Jenna Ortega-starrer from MGM Television crossed the 1B hours viewed mark – only the third show to do that on Netflix – in less than a month and overtook Dahmer to become the second most-watched U.S. show behind season four of Stranger Things.
For the remaining few who haven’t watched, Wednesday offers a new take on The Addams Family — the classic cartoon strip that was created by Charles Addams which ultimately became a ’60s sitcom and a ’90s feature film. Wednesday ranks No. 2 on the most popular (English) TV list with 1.237 billion hours viewed within its first 28 days.
What’s most unique about the series is how one of Netflix’s biggest rivals, Amazon, is responsible for the series after it closed a 8.5B deal to buy MGM. MGM TV has since...
- 1/6/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
In Netflix’s smash hit “Wednesday,” the titular Addams daughter (played by Jenna Ortega) meets a lot of foils during her adventures at Nevermore Academy. Chief among them is her roommate Enid (Emma Myers), a spunky girlie-girl — and a werewolf. To prepare for the part, the show’s stunt team had Myers participate in a “werewolf boot camp.”
Myers spoke about her experience in the boot camp during the January 4 “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” According to Myers, the training happened ahead of filming the show’s sixth episode, which features Enid interacting with her werewolf brothers.
“I have never done so much parkour in my life. It was me running on the floor on all fours, leaping over things, we had these stunt guys pretending to be sheep,” Myers said. “I think anyone who was walking past was like, ‘What is going on in there?'”
Elsewhere in the interview,...
Myers spoke about her experience in the boot camp during the January 4 “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” According to Myers, the training happened ahead of filming the show’s sixth episode, which features Enid interacting with her werewolf brothers.
“I have never done so much parkour in my life. It was me running on the floor on all fours, leaping over things, we had these stunt guys pretending to be sheep,” Myers said. “I think anyone who was walking past was like, ‘What is going on in there?'”
Elsewhere in the interview,...
- 1/5/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Spoiler alert: The following article discusses the entirety of Netflix’s “Wednesday.”
In the spring of 2019, “Smallville” creators Al Gough and Miles Millar conjured the idea for what would eventually become Netflix’s fantastical hit “Wednesday.” The pitch, which began as a six-word long concept centering on an adolescent version of the sardonic Addams family offspring, kicked off a three-year process that would culminate in an eight-month-long shoot on-location in Romania, featuring Tim Burton’s first foray into TV in 30 years and a star-making turn by lead Jenna Ortega.
After tracking down the adaptation rights-holders at MGM (which released the 2019 animated “The Addams Family”), the company — under then-head of scripted television Steve Stark — agreed to finance the writers room as the duo pitched the series.
“We say in typical Wednesday Addams fashion that we had probably one of the first Zoom rooms because our room started the week of lockdown,...
In the spring of 2019, “Smallville” creators Al Gough and Miles Millar conjured the idea for what would eventually become Netflix’s fantastical hit “Wednesday.” The pitch, which began as a six-word long concept centering on an adolescent version of the sardonic Addams family offspring, kicked off a three-year process that would culminate in an eight-month-long shoot on-location in Romania, featuring Tim Burton’s first foray into TV in 30 years and a star-making turn by lead Jenna Ortega.
After tracking down the adaptation rights-holders at MGM (which released the 2019 animated “The Addams Family”), the company — under then-head of scripted television Steve Stark — agreed to finance the writers room as the duo pitched the series.
“We say in typical Wednesday Addams fashion that we had probably one of the first Zoom rooms because our room started the week of lockdown,...
- 12/28/2022
- by Natalie Oganesyan
- The Wrap
Jenna Ortega has revealed there was one line in Wednesday that she refused to say.
The 20-year-old actor plays Wednesday Addams in the hit Netflix series – a new re-imagining of Charles Addams’s iconic Addams Family.
The line in question comes in the fourth episode of the series, based around her school’s annual dance.
Wednesday is seen eyeing up a dress in the window of an antique shop, while out with Thing.
Later in the episode, she is hunting around her room for something to wear, and finds that Thing had stolen the dress for her.
She gives the disembodied hand a grateful look – but it turns out that Ortega used to have a line of dialogue during the sequence.
“I remember there’s a line where I’m talking about a dress and initially she was supposed to say: ‘Oh my God I’m freaking out over a dress,...
The 20-year-old actor plays Wednesday Addams in the hit Netflix series – a new re-imagining of Charles Addams’s iconic Addams Family.
The line in question comes in the fourth episode of the series, based around her school’s annual dance.
Wednesday is seen eyeing up a dress in the window of an antique shop, while out with Thing.
Later in the episode, she is hunting around her room for something to wear, and finds that Thing had stolen the dress for her.
She gives the disembodied hand a grateful look – but it turns out that Ortega used to have a line of dialogue during the sequence.
“I remember there’s a line where I’m talking about a dress and initially she was supposed to say: ‘Oh my God I’m freaking out over a dress,...
- 12/23/2022
- by Louis Chilton
- The Independent - TV
Click here to read the full article.
[The following story includes major spoilers from Wednesday season one and plot details from Smallville.]
With the Netflix series Wednesday, creators Al Gough and Miles Millar gave viewers something they had never seen before: the world of Wednesday Addams, away from her kooky, lovable family.
The breakout show, which opened to the second-largest premiere week in the two-year history of Nielsen’s weekly rankings, is the latest in a long list of Addams Family adaptations. What’s unique about Wednesday, however, is that it largely follows one member of the clan (with a helping hand, ahem, from Thing) and her life at Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for “outcasts, freaks and monsters.” Within days of being at her new school, the teen goth icon is wrapped up in a fantastical whodunnit that she’ll spend the entirety of the first season solving: Who’s killing Nevermore students, and why?
By the end of the finale, Wednesday discovers that her almost-beau,...
[The following story includes major spoilers from Wednesday season one and plot details from Smallville.]
With the Netflix series Wednesday, creators Al Gough and Miles Millar gave viewers something they had never seen before: the world of Wednesday Addams, away from her kooky, lovable family.
The breakout show, which opened to the second-largest premiere week in the two-year history of Nielsen’s weekly rankings, is the latest in a long list of Addams Family adaptations. What’s unique about Wednesday, however, is that it largely follows one member of the clan (with a helping hand, ahem, from Thing) and her life at Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for “outcasts, freaks and monsters.” Within days of being at her new school, the teen goth icon is wrapped up in a fantastical whodunnit that she’ll spend the entirety of the first season solving: Who’s killing Nevermore students, and why?
By the end of the finale, Wednesday discovers that her almost-beau,...
- 12/23/2022
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Wednesday star Jenna Ortega has revealed that she couldn’t sleep for two days while preparing for the show’s viral dance scene.
In Tim Burton’s hit Netflix series, Ortega’s Wednesday Addams asks her love interest, Xavier (Percy Hynes White), to their school’s Rave’N Dance.
As The Cramps’s 1981 single “Goo Goo Muck” plays during the night’s event, Wednesday treats Xavier to an eccentric dance routine.
The routine, which Ortega choreographed herself, quickly went viral and has since become a TikTok trend.
Speaking to late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon, Ortega said she was “kicking” herself over her decision to dream up the dance scene herself.
“I felt like such a fool,” she said. “I’m not a dancer. I don’t do any of that. I have no experience in that field. And then I didn’t sleep for two days.”
Ortega said...
In Tim Burton’s hit Netflix series, Ortega’s Wednesday Addams asks her love interest, Xavier (Percy Hynes White), to their school’s Rave’N Dance.
As The Cramps’s 1981 single “Goo Goo Muck” plays during the night’s event, Wednesday treats Xavier to an eccentric dance routine.
The routine, which Ortega choreographed herself, quickly went viral and has since become a TikTok trend.
Speaking to late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon, Ortega said she was “kicking” herself over her decision to dream up the dance scene herself.
“I felt like such a fool,” she said. “I’m not a dancer. I don’t do any of that. I have no experience in that field. And then I didn’t sleep for two days.”
Ortega said...
- 12/20/2022
- by Ellie Harrison
- The Independent - TV
It's almost impossible to talk about the original 1964 "The Addams Family" without mentioning the other 1964 television show that also features a family of outcasts: "The Munsters." During their heyday, both of these monster-centric sitcoms famously aired during the same time slot, but on different networks, forcing viewers to pick a side. If you were Team Addams, you most likely loved the macabre antics of Morticia and Gomez and their two odd children, Wednesday and Pugsley, but if you were Team Munster, you probably enjoyed your sitcom quirk with a little more actual monster to it.
"The Addams Family" — which is based on "The New Yorker" cartoon created by Charles Addams — depicts a family of outcasts who love all things dark and dangerous, whereas the Munsters are actual monsters —I.E. Frankenstein and Dracula and a werewolf son, oh my! — living relatively normal, suburban lives. These differences are at the heart...
"The Addams Family" — which is based on "The New Yorker" cartoon created by Charles Addams — depicts a family of outcasts who love all things dark and dangerous, whereas the Munsters are actual monsters —I.E. Frankenstein and Dracula and a werewolf son, oh my! — living relatively normal, suburban lives. These differences are at the heart...
- 12/17/2022
- by Miyako Pleines
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Victor Dorobantu, the actor who plays Thing on Netflix’s Wednesday, takes fans behind the scenes to explain how the favorite limb character was brought to life.
In a video posted on the Still Watching Netflix YouTube channel, Tom Turnbull, the VFX Supervisor for Wednesday, said director Tim Burton wanted an actor or performer to play Thing.
“We set out to find us an actor who could do the part,” said Turnbull. “Somebody who had the right look to the hands, who had nimble fingers, was able to do all of these moves. Also, they had to be young enough and supple enough to fit in very awkward situations.” The team chose Dorobantu, who started his career as a magician, for the job.
Thing has been a staple in the Addams Family since the 1930s when the character was created by Charles Addams,...
Victor Dorobantu, the actor who plays Thing on Netflix’s Wednesday, takes fans behind the scenes to explain how the favorite limb character was brought to life.
In a video posted on the Still Watching Netflix YouTube channel, Tom Turnbull, the VFX Supervisor for Wednesday, said director Tim Burton wanted an actor or performer to play Thing.
“We set out to find us an actor who could do the part,” said Turnbull. “Somebody who had the right look to the hands, who had nimble fingers, was able to do all of these moves. Also, they had to be young enough and supple enough to fit in very awkward situations.” The team chose Dorobantu, who started his career as a magician, for the job.
Thing has been a staple in the Addams Family since the 1930s when the character was created by Charles Addams,...
- 12/10/2022
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix’s series Wednesday has received criticism from fans after Jenna Ortega revealed that she had Covid while filming her featured dance scene.
In the fourth episode, titled “Woe What a Night”, Ortega’s Wednesday Addams asks her love interest, Xavier (Percy Hynes White), to their school’s Rave’N Dance.
As The Cramp’s 1981 single “Goo Goo Muck” plays during the night’s event, Wednesday treats Xavier to an eccentric choreographed dance routine.
Speaking to NME about the scene – which has since gone viral, even becoming a TikTok trend – Ortega revealed that she had in fact “choreographed that myself”.
“I’m not a dancer and I’m sure that’s obvious,” she added, explaining: “I’d gotten the song about a week before and I just pulled from whatever I could… it’s crazy because it was my first day with Covid so it was awful to film.”
Ortega...
In the fourth episode, titled “Woe What a Night”, Ortega’s Wednesday Addams asks her love interest, Xavier (Percy Hynes White), to their school’s Rave’N Dance.
As The Cramp’s 1981 single “Goo Goo Muck” plays during the night’s event, Wednesday treats Xavier to an eccentric choreographed dance routine.
Speaking to NME about the scene – which has since gone viral, even becoming a TikTok trend – Ortega revealed that she had in fact “choreographed that myself”.
“I’m not a dancer and I’m sure that’s obvious,” she added, explaining: “I’d gotten the song about a week before and I just pulled from whatever I could… it’s crazy because it was my first day with Covid so it was awful to film.”
Ortega...
- 12/6/2022
- by Inga Parkel
- The Independent - TV
It's been said that big things come in small packages, and few characters in pop culture embody (or should we say "disembody") the sentiment quite like Thing of "The Addams Family." Known as the severed hand servant and longtime companion of the family Addams, Thing has remained a vital member of the world of entertainment inspired by Charles Addams' original cartoons and has evolved into one of the most beloved characters in the family. Thing exists in an interesting space in the Addams family dynamics, serving as both a protective figure, assistant, and almost pet-like role. There's no other character in pop culture quite like him, who can say so much about a situation without saying a word.
Thing also has a fascinating history throughout nearly century-long portrayals of "The Addams Family" characters, undergoing several evolutions to become the cherished palm pal audiences adore the world over. The helpful hand...
Thing also has a fascinating history throughout nearly century-long portrayals of "The Addams Family" characters, undergoing several evolutions to become the cherished palm pal audiences adore the world over. The helpful hand...
- 12/6/2022
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Upon reflection, there couldn't be two '90s Hollywood studio films that are more opposite than Barry Sonnenfeld's "Addams Family Values" and Robert Zemeckis' "Forrest Gump." Both released in the mid-1990s (although the novel "Forrest Gump" was released a decade before making it to the big screen), the two films might represent the ends of an anarchist spectrum. On the one hand, the Addams family is a creepy bunch of murderers who live in a strange haunted mansion, and who take delight in the misery of others. They live far out on the fringe and they love it. They spray blood on people, pour boiling oil on Christmas carolers, and, in the famous climax of "Values," kill off all the counselors at a summer camp.
"Forrest Gump," meanwhile, is a cube of American cornpone about the Rockwellian nature of old American institutions. "Forrest Gump" argues that the inside was the place to be,...
"Forrest Gump," meanwhile, is a cube of American cornpone about the Rockwellian nature of old American institutions. "Forrest Gump" argues that the inside was the place to be,...
- 12/6/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
A version of this story about the series “Wednesday” first appeared in the Guilds & Critics Awards / Documentaries issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
Since the beginning of their Hollywood careers as writing partners, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have tackled beloved properties with an impressive fearlessness. They worked on a “Lethal Weapon” sequel, a riff on the “Superman” mythology (“Smallville”), a “Mummy” movie and a “Charlie’s Angels” revamp. But the duo’s latest project, the creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky “Wednesday,” feels daunting even with their previous credits.
It’s an adaptation of the Charles Addams cartoons and 1960s TV series “The Addams Family,” this time focusing on perpetually haunted daughter Wednesday (now played by Jenna Ortega). It’s the first high-profile live-action take on the material since Barry Sonnenfeld’s iconic movies in the 1990s. And to make things even more intimidating, “Wednesday” marks the first television project in three decades from Tim Burton,...
Since the beginning of their Hollywood careers as writing partners, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have tackled beloved properties with an impressive fearlessness. They worked on a “Lethal Weapon” sequel, a riff on the “Superman” mythology (“Smallville”), a “Mummy” movie and a “Charlie’s Angels” revamp. But the duo’s latest project, the creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky “Wednesday,” feels daunting even with their previous credits.
It’s an adaptation of the Charles Addams cartoons and 1960s TV series “The Addams Family,” this time focusing on perpetually haunted daughter Wednesday (now played by Jenna Ortega). It’s the first high-profile live-action take on the material since Barry Sonnenfeld’s iconic movies in the 1990s. And to make things even more intimidating, “Wednesday” marks the first television project in three decades from Tim Burton,...
- 12/1/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
The fifth season of Stranger Things will be the last for the flagship Netflix series, but fret not, for it appears that the streamer has found something… stranger. Wednesday certainly appears to be bigger after its first week of release, in any case.
Netflix confirmed as much when the company trumpeted viewing data for the Jenna Ortega series late Tuesday afternoon. According to the streaming service, Wednesday chalked up 341.2 million hours of viewership in its first seven days, as per Netflix’s own internal analytics. This topples the record previously set by Stranger Things 4 back in late May/early June of this year, as well as any other English language series. However, it is still under Netflix’s all-time record holder, last year’s Squid Game, a drama in the Korean language that totaled 571.76 million hours of viewership in its first week.
These are absolutely staggering numbers for Wednesday, which...
Netflix confirmed as much when the company trumpeted viewing data for the Jenna Ortega series late Tuesday afternoon. According to the streaming service, Wednesday chalked up 341.2 million hours of viewership in its first seven days, as per Netflix’s own internal analytics. This topples the record previously set by Stranger Things 4 back in late May/early June of this year, as well as any other English language series. However, it is still under Netflix’s all-time record holder, last year’s Squid Game, a drama in the Korean language that totaled 571.76 million hours of viewership in its first week.
These are absolutely staggering numbers for Wednesday, which...
- 11/30/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Put your fingers together and give two snaps for Netflix and Tim Burton’s Wednesday! The creepy and kooky series based on the characters created by Charles Addams is breaking records after its first week, with 341.23M hours viewed. How impressive is this total? Special enough to defeat the fourth season of Stranger Things, which previously held the title with 335 million hours clocked. Squid Game remains the all-time record holder for those playing at home, with 571.8M hours viewed during its best week.
Additionally, Wednesday danced its way into the Top 10 in 93 countries, laying comfortably with its arms folded in 83. It’s also worth noting Wednesday has streamed in over 50 million households. Many viewers across generations love the title character or are meeting her for the first time. Whatever the situation is, Wednesday Addams is blowing up like fish swimming too close to a stick of dynamite across social media platforms like Twitter,...
Additionally, Wednesday danced its way into the Top 10 in 93 countries, laying comfortably with its arms folded in 83. It’s also worth noting Wednesday has streamed in over 50 million households. Many viewers across generations love the title character or are meeting her for the first time. Whatever the situation is, Wednesday Addams is blowing up like fish swimming too close to a stick of dynamite across social media platforms like Twitter,...
- 11/29/2022
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Editor’s note: This story contains discussion about the ending of Season 1 of “Wednesday.”
In the world of “The Addams Family,” Wednesday Addams has been a perpetual 10-year-old girl with a deadpan wit and a love for the murderous and macabre. It was something that Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, creators of Netflix’s new series “Wednesday,” wanted to change with their take, separating Wednesday from her family and giving her her own chance to shine.
“She was never the center of the scene,” Millar told IndieWire via Zoom.
Using the illustrations of Charles Addams, who crafted “The Addams Family” back in 1938, as inspiration, Gough and Millar went back and forth on what type of world Wednesday would inhabit. “Because of the ‘Harry Potter’ of it all [the question was] should she be at a regular school and then be a fish out of water?” Millar said. “But it felt kind of one-note...
In the world of “The Addams Family,” Wednesday Addams has been a perpetual 10-year-old girl with a deadpan wit and a love for the murderous and macabre. It was something that Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, creators of Netflix’s new series “Wednesday,” wanted to change with their take, separating Wednesday from her family and giving her her own chance to shine.
“She was never the center of the scene,” Millar told IndieWire via Zoom.
Using the illustrations of Charles Addams, who crafted “The Addams Family” back in 1938, as inspiration, Gough and Millar went back and forth on what type of world Wednesday would inhabit. “Because of the ‘Harry Potter’ of it all [the question was] should she be at a regular school and then be a fish out of water?” Millar said. “But it felt kind of one-note...
- 11/29/2022
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Netflix’s Addams Family reboot features an ensemble cast of Jenna Ortega, Christina Ricci, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gwendoline Christie and more – but not all of them make it out of season one unscathed.
The series, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams, sees Ortega (X; Jane the Virgin) play Wednesday Addams.
Ricci, who starred as Wednesday in the Nineties movies directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, plays Nevermore teacher Marilyn Thornhill. Zeta-Jones plays Wednesday’s mother Morticia and Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) plays Nevermore’s Principal Weems.
*Warning – major spoilers ahead for Wednesday*
Tragically, in the season finale, Thornhill stabs Weems in the throat with a poisoned syringe and she dies in Wednesday’s arms.
Speaking to Variety about the series, showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar were asked how the Game of Thrones star reacted upon finding out about her character’s demise.
“She was such an amazing trooper throughout the whole thing,...
The series, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams, sees Ortega (X; Jane the Virgin) play Wednesday Addams.
Ricci, who starred as Wednesday in the Nineties movies directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, plays Nevermore teacher Marilyn Thornhill. Zeta-Jones plays Wednesday’s mother Morticia and Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) plays Nevermore’s Principal Weems.
*Warning – major spoilers ahead for Wednesday*
Tragically, in the season finale, Thornhill stabs Weems in the throat with a poisoned syringe and she dies in Wednesday’s arms.
Speaking to Variety about the series, showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar were asked how the Game of Thrones star reacted upon finding out about her character’s demise.
“She was such an amazing trooper throughout the whole thing,...
- 11/29/2022
- by Tom Murray
- The Independent - TV
Wednesday is a new take on The Addams Family, the classic cartoon strip created by Charles Addams. The Netflix series focuses on the titular character played by Jenna Ortega with her family only appearing sprinkled throughout the season.
However, co-showrunner Miles Millar says that Wednesday’s family, which includes Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia and Luis Guzmán as Gomez, could be featured more in a second season.
“We felt like we just touched the surface with those characters and the actors are so amazing in those roles,” Millar told TV Line in an interview. “Catherine is, I think, an iconic Morticia. The relationship between Wednesday and Morticia is also essential to the show, and the idea that Wednesday is trying to forge her own path outside the family is important.”
Although Wednesday has not been renewed by Netflix for a new season, Millar says that they “definitely want to feature the...
However, co-showrunner Miles Millar says that Wednesday’s family, which includes Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia and Luis Guzmán as Gomez, could be featured more in a second season.
“We felt like we just touched the surface with those characters and the actors are so amazing in those roles,” Millar told TV Line in an interview. “Catherine is, I think, an iconic Morticia. The relationship between Wednesday and Morticia is also essential to the show, and the idea that Wednesday is trying to forge her own path outside the family is important.”
Although Wednesday has not been renewed by Netflix for a new season, Millar says that they “definitely want to feature the...
- 11/28/2022
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Jenna Ortega, the star of Netflix’s Wednesday, has explained how she avoided “ripping off” Christina Ricci.
Ortega plays Wednesday Addams in the new series, adapted from the characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams.
The role was previously played by Ricci in two live-action films in the 1990s: The Addams Family and its sequel, Addams Family Values.
Wednesday has garnered mixed reviews from critics – including a critical two-star write up from The Independent’s Nick Hilton – but has been warmly received by viewers, with its Rotten Tomatoes score setting a milestone for Addams Family adaptations.
Ricci also appears in the series, playing one of Wednesday’s teachers.
In an interview with MTV News, Ortega revealed that she didn’t talk about the character with Ricci at all to make sure her own performance was distinct.
“I think when [Christina] was on set, neither one of us said ‘Wednesday’ once to each other,...
Ortega plays Wednesday Addams in the new series, adapted from the characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams.
The role was previously played by Ricci in two live-action films in the 1990s: The Addams Family and its sequel, Addams Family Values.
Wednesday has garnered mixed reviews from critics – including a critical two-star write up from The Independent’s Nick Hilton – but has been warmly received by viewers, with its Rotten Tomatoes score setting a milestone for Addams Family adaptations.
Ricci also appears in the series, playing one of Wednesday’s teachers.
In an interview with MTV News, Ortega revealed that she didn’t talk about the character with Ricci at all to make sure her own performance was distinct.
“I think when [Christina] was on set, neither one of us said ‘Wednesday’ once to each other,...
- 11/27/2022
- by Louis Chilton
- The Independent - TV
Jenna Ortega plays the titular character Wednesday in the Netflix series based on the Charles Addams cartoons. Ortega follows in the footsteps of Christina Ricci who portrayed the character in 1991’s The Addams Family and the 1993 sequel Addams Family Values.
Ricci returned to the Netflix reboot with the character of Marylin Thornhill and although she shared scenes with Ortega, the new Wednesday said she didn’t ask for any advice.
“No, I think when she was on set, neither one of us said Wednesday once to each other,” Ortega said in a one-on-one interview with costar Emma Myers for MTV News. “I don’t think she wanted to get in the way of my performance and feel like she was overbearing. And then I felt like I didn’t want to pull up something that she did 30 years ago, for one, the sake of my own benefit, but two, I...
Ricci returned to the Netflix reboot with the character of Marylin Thornhill and although she shared scenes with Ortega, the new Wednesday said she didn’t ask for any advice.
“No, I think when she was on set, neither one of us said Wednesday once to each other,” Ortega said in a one-on-one interview with costar Emma Myers for MTV News. “I don’t think she wanted to get in the way of my performance and feel like she was overbearing. And then I felt like I didn’t want to pull up something that she did 30 years ago, for one, the sake of my own benefit, but two, I...
- 11/27/2022
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
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