New Faces at Nevermore: Wednesday Welcomes Star-Studded Additions

Netflix has released the first official look at Billie Piper as one of the mystery recruits on season two of the acclaimed Wednesday. The 42-year-old actor plays Isadora Capri, a “darkly brilliant and enigmatic” former child prodigy and the head of music at Nevermore Academy.

Piper is already well known for her work with the macabre, including as Brona Croft/The Bride of Frankenstein in Penny Dreadful. The British actress Isadora shows interest in the musical ability of Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) while also tutoring werewolf student Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers), who also returns for the new season.

Netflix shared the first images of Piper in costume along with major announcements about the record-breaking show’s future. The darkly comic reinterpretation of the Addams Family world first landed on Netflix in November 2022 and quickly established itself as a critical and commercial success. Gaining 252 million watchers around the world, it became the biggest English-language series in Netflix history. In January 2023, the show was renewed for a second season, which is now confirmed to premiere in August of this year.

Darkly Comic Wednesday Enters a Whole New World

Wednesday sees Jenna Ortega’s 22-year-old Wednesday Addams and her older cousin Lucas Poe (Carlos Gimenez) start at Nevermore Academy, a school for supernatural outsiders and misfits. An unholy combination of teen rebellion, horror, comedy, and teen drama proved irresistible for audiences, and the show earned Emmy nominations, as well as building a passionate fanbase in the process.

Following an initial confirmation that the new season would come at some point in 2023, today’s announcement confirms that the release will land in August.

The Supernatural Teen Drama Expands with Record-Shattering Success

Wednesday is already the biggest English-language show in Netflix history and has now been renewed for a third season. In addition, the show is in the works for an official spin-off series.

A report in The Hollywood Reporter notes that there is discussion of a spin-off series for Wednesday and that the idea is being explored. While no official confirmation or details have been given, co-creator Alfred Gough was quoted as saying, “It’s something we’re noodling; there are other characters we can look at.”

Fans have been quick to react to both announcements in ecstatic messages all over social media. Catherine Zeta-Jones, who plays Morticia Addams in the series, confirmed the renewal in an intentionally ambiguous Instagram post: “When Wednesday comes, a better day. Wednesday season three. It’s official… we shall return.” In the comments, users added, “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!”

Fans also raised the concern that they may have to wait as long as two years for season three, again calling for a speedier production after season two’s unusually long wait. Season two was announced in January 2023, but it will release more than two years after the show first launched. “I’ll be gripping the sheets in agony waiting, but please… don’t let us wait three years again.”

Tim Burton Returns as the Show Expands

Burton, 66, returns to the series as an executive producer and an occasional director. He also recently collaborated with Ortega on Beetlejuice, the upcoming sequel to the 1988 original.

Several new and familiar faces are on the way to Nevermore for season two. Along with Billie Piper, new cast members for season two include Lady Gaga, Steve Buscemi, Joanna Lumley, and Thandie Newton. Returning for the second season are Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, Carlos Gimenez as Lucas Poe, Gwendoline Christie as headteacher Larissa Weems, and Luis Guzmán as Wednesday’s father, Gomez Addams.

Actress Ortega is taking a larger role behind the scenes on season two. The actress previously took some heat for a podcast interview in which she claimed to have often “changed lines” and sometimes had to “put my foot down” in order to address character inconsistencies.

Ortega took up a producer title on the new season, with Burton publicly defending her. The director and executive producer noted that Ortega’s comments had been taken out of context, while co-creator Alfred Gough noted that Ortega had been heavily involved with the show from the start and had a major impact on its success. In a statement, Gough added: “She’s a producer, it’s the understatement of the century.”

Joanna Lumley Joins Wednesday on the Brink of Nevermore

Joanna Lumley, one of the other new additions to Wednesday season two, said in a statement: “There’s always something thrilling about working for Tim Burton. 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.”

With Wednesday set to expand even further, the world of Wednesday season three and a spin-off series, fans will not have long to wait until the August 2023 release.