'Wednesday' trailer: five takeaways from Netflix's Addams family spin-off

Christina Ricci has a teacher role and Uncle Fester is to be played by Fred Armisen in the Tim Burton-directed series

Luis Guzman, Jenna Ortega and Catherine Zeta Jones star in Netflix's 'Wednesday', a series by Tim Burton coming in November. Photo: Netflix

The official Netflix trailer for the retelling of the Addams family story has been released.

Wednesday, directed by Tim Burton, shines a spotlight on Wednesday Addams, the teenage daughter of Morticia and Gomez Addams, known for her morbid fascinations and dark, braided pigtails.

Opening on a large, wrought iron gate that reads Nevermore Academy, the trailer features the voice of a woman who says: “Nevermore was created as a safe haven for our children. To learn and to grow, no matter who or what they are.”

Then, a pair of uniform-clad students turn to reveal that they do not have faces and another group of students wolf howl into the air.

The series stars Jenna Ortega in the titular role alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones, Christina Ricci and more. Here are five takeaways from the first official trailer.

1. Burton’s directorial TV debut echoes his filmmaking

As the king of cinematic spooks, Burton’s TV debut looks set to be a dark, mysterious fantasy filled with intriguing characters, a hint of special effects and lively cinematic scenes.

The new trailer features a number of students who might feel like an outcast in the normal world and the renowned director behind gothic horror hits including Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street previously said that the script for Wednesday “spoke to me about how I felt in school and how you feel about your parents, how you feel as a person”.

2. Christina Ricci stars will play a flower-loving teacher

Christina Ricci is set to play the role of Marilyn Thornhill in the new series. The actress, 42, played Wednesday Addams in 1991's The Addams Family and Addams Family Values in 1993. In Burton’s series, she’s been recast as a sprightly teacher at Nevermore Academy, where Wednesday(Ortega) is sent as a student to hone her psychic abilities.

Sporting auburn hair and bangs, round glasses, a flowery blouse and a dove-embroidered cardigan, Ricci's character is a far cry from her original casting, but perhaps the black flower she carries under her arm is a sign that things are not quite as first appear.

3. Fred Armisen will play Uncle Fester

Most of the Addams family characters were previously cast — with Zeta-Jones playing Morticia, Luis Guzman as Gomez and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley, but the new trailer reveals the identity of the man playing Wednesday’s beloved Uncle Fester.

In the clip, US comedy actor Fred Armisen drops out of a tree, surprising Wednesday when he takes his hat off to reveal his baldheaded self.

Best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, the star also appeared in Zoolander and Anchorman. In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair on Saturday, the New Girl and Modern Family actor shared that he shaved his head daily and wore prosthetic eyebrows for the role, in which he helps Wednesday try to catch a killer.

4. Thing returns

The disembodied servant hand known as Thing returns in Burton’s dark sleuthing series.

In the trailer, it can be seen typing along in tune to a cleverly scored combination of The Rolling Stones’ Paint It, Black and the Addams family theme tune.

Sent to spy on Wednesday at school by her parents, it seems the teenager soon convinces Thing to be on her side — in the latest clip, it can be seen typing out a letter on Wednesday's headed note paper.

5. It will be released on a Wednesday

The excitement around this particular show has been brewing for a while and many enthusiastic Addams family fans are already planning Wednesday Addams 2022 costumes for Halloween.

Netflix has missed the boat in releasing the gothic show in time for the spooktacular holiday, but the creators are all set to showcase the series next month and, rather aptly, it will come out on a Wednesday. November 23 is the date, for viewers’ diaries.