Tim Burton has cast 18-year-old Jenna Ortega as the titular Wednesday Addams for Netflix’s upcoming Addams Family spin-off series, which is simply titled Wednesday.

The eight-episode show has been touted as a sleuthing, supernaturally inclined mystery that will reintroduce fans to Wednesday Addams as a student of Nevermore Academy. Also serving as a coming-of-age story, the Burton-directed and -produced series will see the beloved Addams family member learn to master her emerging psychic abilities, investigate the cause of a killing spree terrorising the local town, and solve a mystery from her parents’ past – à la gothic Nancy Drew, aided by a ragtag team of fellow students.

You may recognise Jenna Ortega from recent projects like the psychological thriller series You and Netflix’s family comedy Yes Day, in which she starred opposite Jennifer Garner and Édgar Ramírez. But rest assured, this won’t be Ortega’s first incursion into the supernatural or horror(ish) genres: she previously showcased her spooky acting talents in Insidious: Chapter 2 and The Babysitter: Killer Queen, and is sure to dazzle once again in the upcoming Scream 5 film. So, who better to entrust the cult character’s legacy to?

There is no word yet on who might be joining the young actress on Burton’s TV directorial debut, but it’s still very early days on the project; more casting announcements are sure to follow in coming months. Until then, fans can look forward to seeing Wednesday return to the big screen in The Addams Family 2, with Chloë Grace Moretz back to voice the character.

 

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