They may not have been the original Gomez and Morticia, but Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston, in the ’90s Addams Family movies (pictured above), are absolute treasures. Imagining who could step into Julia and Huston’s dancing shoes for Wednesday, Netflix’s coming-of-age series focused on the couple’s daughter, was something of a challenge.
But the show has knocked it out of the park. Luis Guzmán will play Gomez, and Catherine Zeta-Jones is on board as Morticia. They both join Jenna Ortega (You) as Wednesday.
Gomez and Morticia are guest starring roles, which makes sense even though it’s kind of a bummer, especially with a cast like this. But the series focuses on Wednesday’s student years at Nevermore Academy, where she must “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.”
Guzmán has been acting since the ’80s, frequently appearing in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s films (Magnolia, Boogie Nights) and also in TV series including Oz and Shameless.
Zeta-Jones won an Oscar for her turn as Velma Kelly in 2002’s Chicago, but some of us will always think of The Mask of Zorro when we see her face. She’s also been working in TV recently, appearing on shows including Prodigal Son and Queen America.
Wednesday comes from director Tim Burton and showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville). Netflix ordered the show straight to series, but no premiere date has been announced.
