Wednesday Co-Creators Praise Jenna Ortega’s Deeper Involvement

Netflix has shared the first official look at Billie Piper in her new role for Wednesday’s upcoming second season. The British actress, 42, will play Isadora Capri in the gothic comedy series starring Jenna Ortega. In her new role, Piper plays the brooding, music-obsessed, and enigmatic head of music at Nevermore Academy.

Fans will be no strangers to Piper’s gothic and supernatural characters. Her most famous role in the same vein is Brona Croft/The Bride of Frankenstein from the show Penny Dreadful. Described as a former child prodigy, Isadora Capri specifically takes an interest in Wednesday Addams’ musical abilities, while she also mentors werewolf pupil Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers).

Netflix posted the first look at Billie Piper in character alongside Wednesday’s major announcements this week. The smash series, based on the Addams Family, originally premiered on Netflix in November 2022 and quickly became a global sensation. 252 million viewers across the world tuned in to see the pilot, making Wednesday the most-watched English-language series in Netflix’s entire history. Buoyed by this success, the platform renewed the show for a second season in January 2023. Wednesday season two is now confirmed for release this August.

A dark and twisted take on the Addams Family universe, the series follows the adventures of Wednesday Addams (22-year-old Jenna Ortega). The social outcast finds herself at Nevermore Academy, a high school for supernatural misfits. A blend of teen rebellion, horror, and dark comedy, the show proved a hit with audiences and critics, winning an Emmy and picking up a cult following in the process.

Wednesday Season Three Is Confirmed; Spin-Off In Works

Along with revealing Billie Piper’s mysterious new character, Netflix confirmed even more Wednesday news on Thursday. Wednesday has now been officially renewed for a third season, and a spin-off is in development, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Co-creator Alfred Gough teased the project, saying, “It’s something we’re noodling; there are other characters we can look at.”

Netflix’s announcement was met with a frenzy of excitement from Wednesday fans across social media. Catherine Zeta-Jones, who plays the role of Morticia Addams, confirmed the renewal in an Instagram post of her own: “When Wednesday comes, a better day. Wednesday season three. It’s official… we shall return.” Fans in the comments expressed their excitement with messages like, “And for many more seasons,” and “I can’t wait to see the second season, I’m waiting for it with great curiosity… and the third is already official, fantastic news!”

A few fans of the series are crossing their fingers that filming can begin shortly, hoping that this time around, there won’t be a long gap before the release. Although the second season was confirmed in January 2023, this new season will still be over two years after the series’ first outing. Fans are crying out for a shorter turnaround time between seasons this time. As one viewer said, “I’ll be gripping the sheets in agony waiting, but please… don’t let us wait three years again.”

Tim Burton, 66, is returning to the show as executive producer and occasional director, continuing to give the show its signature creepy feel. Burton has also recently worked with Wednesday star Ortega on Beetlejuice, a sequel to the 1988 cult classic Beetlejuice.

The upcoming season boasts an array of A-list names. In addition to Billie Piper, Wednesday has cast Lady Gaga, Steve Buscemi, Joanna Lumley, and Thandie Newton. The returning cast includes Gwendoline Christie as headteacher Larissa Weems and Luis Guzmán as Wednesday’s father, Gomez Addams.

Actress Ortega herself has taken on a larger role behind the camera for the new season. This comes in the wake of a podcast interview in which the 22-year-old said she often “changed lines” during filming and had to “put my foot down” when inconsistencies arose. After some critics downplayed her role and dismissed her comments, Burton publicly came out in Ortega’s defense, saying that what she had said had been misconstrued. Co-creator Alfred Gough also jumped to Ortega’s defense, and gave an update on the actress’s role behind the scenes: “She already does it,” Gough said of Ortega’s involvement in the creative process. “She’s there. We regularly send scripts to her to get a read on things, and she’s a full-on part of the creation.”

Joanna Lumley is among the latest to join the cast, and she could not be more excited. “There’s always something thrilling about working for Tim Burton,” Lumley said. “His whole mind takes him to a different world, and the world that they’ve created here for Wednesday and Nevermore and the family is just intoxicating.”

Wednesday has confirmed seasons two and three. There’s also a spin-off in the works. With Billie Piper in the mix, it’s anyone’s guess who might arrive next in the world of Nevermore Academy.