Wednesday: Catherine Zeta-Jones to play Morticia in Addams Family series

Wednesday, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Addams Family, Netflix, series

Tim Burton’s Addams Family spin-off series, Wednesday, is making some kooky casting announcements as of late. A screaming telegram just crossed my desk and has alerted me to the fact that Catherine Zeta-Jones will play Morticia Addams in the new Netflix show. This terrifyingly inspired news comes not long after learning that Luis Guzmán will play Gomez Addams.

The creepy and kooky live-action series is a sleuthing, 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 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 at Nevermore. Jenna Ortega (The Babysitter: Killer QueenScreamYes Day) will star as the raven-haired brother torturer, Wednesday Addams.

The comedic coming-of-age tale was given an 8-episode order back in February with Tim Burton attached to direct and executive produce. Al Gough and Miles Millar (SmallvilleInto the Badlands) will serve as showrunners, with Steve Stark (MediumThe Event), Andrew Mittman for 1.21 (The Addams FamilyAlphas), Kevin Miserocchi (Tee and Charles Addams Foundation), Kayla Alpert (Code BlackUp All Night), Jonathan Glickman for Glickmania (RESPECTAddams Family 2), and Gail Berman (The Addams FamilyAlphas) executive producing as well.

Zeta-Jones is the latest actress to take on the iconic role after Anjelica Huston, Charlize Theron, Daryl Hannah, and Carolyn Jones.

While Burton has been hit-or-miss for me over the past several years, I must admit that I’m excited to see his take on The Addams Family. The Addamses were a major part of my childhood alongside The Munsters. Both families represent a sense of self-pride and freedom that I aspire to, and the sets for any Addams Famly project are always a sight to behold. I hope Burton digs deep for this series and shows the world that he’s still capable of getting creepy, kooky, and, of course, ooky.

Source: Deadline

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He's also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You'll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.