Jenna Ortega will soon don the iconic black pigtails and gothic attire again and become Wednesday Addams in season 2 of the highly popular Netflix series Wednesday, a show that director Tim Burton says wouldn't be possible without her.
"For me, Jenna is what the show is. She’s the reason there’s a show," Burton tells Total Film in our new issue out on Thursday, August 15, which features Beetlejuice Beetlejuice on the cover. "But the rest of the cast are all great. We have Steve Buscemi on this season, which is great, Thandiwe Newton and Billie Piper."
Wednesday season 1 marked Burton’s introduction to television of this sort, after being so well known for helming iconic gothic horrors such as Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, and Beetlejuice. "I never did TV things, so it’s all new to me. It’s working to a TV schedule, but it just feels like you’re making a movie," reveals Burton.
Wednesday season 2 will continue the story of the eldest Addams sibling’s time at Evermore Academy after she had to defeat a ghoulish monster in season 1. Burton and co. are keeping a tight lid on plot details, but what we do know is that Ortega is not only returning as the star but also as a producer.
"It’s so informative. There’s so many conversations that I had never been a part of before in terms of prosthetics, wardrobe, locations and things like that," Ortega tells Total Film of producing the second season. "It’s exciting. It’s different. It’s stimulating. I’m really fortunate to be in a line of work that I respect. And that’s just another side of it, which I’m curious about, and I would love to know more, and do more."
But before Wednesday season 2 graces the small screen comes Burton and Ortega’s next project: the highly anticipated Beetlejuice sequel. Beetlejuice 2, officially titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, stars Ortega as Lydia Deetz’ (Winona Ryder) teenage daughter Astrid who accidentally summons the Ghost with the Most (Michael Keaton) to her family home. Beetlejuice 2 hits theaters on September 6.
Wednesday season 2 will be released on Netflix in 2025. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, August 15.
Check out the covers below:
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