Here is what we know about Wednesday season 2, including its release date, cast and plot details, in light of the SAG-AFTRA strike ending.
Following a record-breaking first season, Netflix promptly renewed the Wednesday-centred Addams spin-off. Season 1 landed in November 2022, but any hopes of season 2 arriving around the same time this year were abandoned in the wake of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Now that the strike is over, season 2’s production might soon be in full swing, especially since Variety reported that the Wednesday season 2 scripts were a top priority for the streamer.
Jenna Ortega will be back to lead the Wednesday cast, with the likes of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzman expected to join her. Tim Burton will also be involved, though in what capacity remains unclear, as per the director’s own words.
“I mentally put stuff on hold until all the strikes are over. I can edit and do things I can do, but until the veil is lifted, then things get back into it. But yeah, I’ll be involved in some [way]. I’m not quite sure, because everything has stopped at the moment,” he told the BFI before news of the deal broke.
The Corpse Bride director has worked with Ortega since, however, on his upcoming Beetlejuice sequel, which also stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder. Burton was full of praise for Ortega, telling the BFI: “When I did Wednesday, the reason I loved it is I just related to the character so much. But to me, it could not have been done without [Jenna Ortega].
“You can write it good, you can do whatever you want to do, but that kind of a character would need such clarity and purity and strength. A person has to have that. So, for me, she basically made the show that way. She’s one of the most aware, not only as an actress, but everything, around the camera, the set.
“She’s a very special talent. And she’s done a lot of horror movies, which I love too. That gave her a special place in my heart. ‘Oh, you’re doing another horror. Good.'”
As for what we can expect of the new series once it does arrive, Ortega offered a little of the direction season 2 will be going in on The Tonight Show some time ago.
“I don’t know. I think we just started getting a writers’ room together and kind of talking about it. And everyone is being really cool,” she said. “I think we want to up kind of the horror aspect a little bit and then get Wednesday out of the romantic situation and just let her be her own individual and fight her own crime.”
Ortega has been a vocal champion of Wednesday from the start, going as far as changing dialogues from some scenes to better suit the character without informing the writers beforehand and coming up with her groovy dance moves (which were inspired by Lisa Loring’s iteration of Wednesday back in 1994) by herself.
So, when will Wednesday season 2 come out on Netflix to tie up all the loose ends? Read on for everything we know about Wednesday season 2 so far.
When is ‘Wednesday’ season 2 coming out? Release date speculation
Netflix is yet to confirm when Wednesday season 2 will be available to stream on the service and, though the production cycle of the initial episodes was rather swift (the project began filming in September 2021 and landed on Netflix in November 2022), we’ll have to wait longer for the next instalment.
With the SAG-AFTRA strike now over, it looks like the earliest we’ll get season 2 is by late 2024.
We do know that Netflix is prioritising preproduction work on the series now that the WGA strike is over, so that could speed things up.
Speaking to Variety, showrunner Miles Millar revealed that he and co-creator Alfred Gough hope for the show to continue beyond just season 2.
He explained: “For us, it’s always looking at the future, and when we sit down to create a show, it’s looking at multiple seasons, ideally. That’s never expected, but that’s the anticipation – that hopefully the show is successful.
“So, you always lay out at least three or four seasons’ worth of potential storylines for the characters. It can evolve and change.
“Often, you want to see which characters or cast pop and who you like to write for, so you want to keep it open and organic enough to change it and evolve. But we certainly have a pretty clear runway of what we want to do in future seasons.”
Who could star in a potential ‘Wednesday’ season 2?
The following Wednesday cast members could possibly return for the second season.
- Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams
- Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams
- Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams
- Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams
- Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester
- Gwendoline Christie as Principal Larissa Weems
- Jamie McShane as Sheriff Galpin
- Percy Hynes White as Xavier Thorpe
- Hunter Doohan as Tyler Galpin
- Emma Myers as Enid Sinclair
- Joy Sunday as Bianca Barclay
Of course, it wouldn’t be Wednesday without Jenna Ortega reprising the iconic role of goth teenager Wednesday Addams. It’s also likely that Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Isaac Ordonez and Fred Armisen will return as Morticia, Gomez, Pugsley and Uncle Fester.
While we’re yet to find out what will happen to the characters introduced in the show – particularly as season 1 sees a monstrous killing spree terrorise the local town near Nevermore Academy – hopefully we’ll see the likes of Gwendoline Christie (Principal Larissa Weems), Jamie McShane (Sheriff Galpin), Percy Hynes White (Xavier Thorpe), Hunter Doohan (Tyler Galpin), Emma Myers (Enid Sinclair) and Joy Sunday (Bianca Barclay) in season 2.
Is there a ‘Wednesday’ season 2 trailer?
No.
It’s too early for a trailer, given the series hasn’t begun shooting yet. However, we’ll update this page as soon as we know more.
Is ‘Wednesday’ leaving Netflix?
No. After some mild panic from fans, Netflix confirmed early in 2023 that Wednesday will return for season 2 on the streaming service, describing the show as a “global phenomenon” in an announcement video.
Showrunners Miles Millar and Alfred Gough told Netflix’s TUDUM: “We can’t wait to dive headfirst into another season and explore the kooky, spooky world of Nevermore.
“We just need to make sure Wednesday hasn’t emptied the pool first.”
They added: “We’re thrilled to continue Wednesday’s torturous journey into season 2.”
Ortega has also thanked fans for their support ahead of season 2, tweeting: “Thanks to everyone who made this upcoming season possible. This has all been pretty surreal.”
Previously, there had been speculation that the wild success of the show could lead to it being poached by Prime Video, following Amazon’s recent acquisition of Addams Family owner MGM for a cool USD 8.4 billion.
However, Deadline reported that Amazon’s MGM deal doesn’t automatically mean content from the producer will become exclusive to Prime Video.
IndieWire also sought to debunk the rumours, with a source telling the publication that a deal between Netflix and MGM had already been locked in long before Amazon purchased MGM.
What could be the plot for a potential ‘Wednesday’ season 2?
There are a lot of antics from the Nevermore Academy and the aftermath of that killer plotline to unpack, but it seems we already know what we could see more of in future if Wednesday is renewed for a second run.
One thing that showrunner Millar is keen to add more of in the second season is the Addams Family themselves.
Speaking to TV Line, he said: “We felt like we just touched the surface with those characters and the actors are so amazing in those roles.
“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.”
He added: “[We] definitely want to feature the family as we did this season in a couple of episodes if we were to get a second season.”
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Millar also spoke about how they would hope to continue the “inspiring” nature of Wednesday as a young teenage protagonist.
He said: “We’re also the father of four daughters between us. So, we have definitely culled from life for this one, and I think we’re definitely inspired to write or find a teen girl character like this, who’s so rare, who’s so self-confident, literate, smart, weird and unapologetic about all those things.
“Often, teen girls can start off as an ugly duckling, and they blossom into a swan, whereas here Wednesday is fully formed. I think it’s such an amazing aspirational role model to see this character. It’s so rare to see a female teen protagonist like this.”
Additionally, Gough and Millar teased the possibility of further exploring the theme of female friendships in a future second season.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Gough said: “We wanna sort of explore and sort of complicate all of those relationships going forward. The school was closed when they left, which gave us the most possibilities for season two, and I think that’s something that we’re excited to explore.
“We’re excited to explore now that Wednesday’s dipped her toe into the friendship pool, what’s that gonna look like?”
(Hero and feature image: IMDb/Wednesday)
This story first appeared on www.radiotimes.com
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