We’re fast approaching two years since the first season of Netflix’s megahit Wednesday premiered, yet there’s still no date in sight for when Jenna Ortega‘s black-clad Addams Family daughter will return. Production is well underway, but attention has been turned to a certain other Tim Burton-directed project for the time being — Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The Ghost With the Most’s grand resurrection, which also featured Ortega, has returned the auteur to the limelight with what has been hailed as one of his best movies in years. Now, though, his focus is on bringing his directorial efforts back to television for Season 2 with creators Al Gough and Miles Millar.
In a wide-ranging conversation about the Michael Keaton sequel and Wednesday, Collider’s Steve Weintraub asked Gough about Burton’s involvement as a director in Season 2. The first outing saw the Edward Scissorhands mastermind helm the first half of the eight-episode run, with the final four episodes split between Gandja Monteiro and James Marshall. His involvement was integral in setting the tone, instilling his singular creepy and creative essence for the entire run. Gough confirmed that the structure will be similar in the upcoming season, saying, “He’s doing four. He’s doing half the season like he did in Season 1.” There’s no word, however, on exactly which episodes Burton will be in charge of.
For Gough, having Burton involved is a blessing because of the amount of care he puts into Wednesday. He compared the director’s dedication to Season 2 to what he displayed making Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, returning not out of a cynical desire for more money or because of a contract, but because he genuinely loves the material. Between its chilling mystery, visuals, and humor, the series and Burton were a match made in heaven the first time around, helping Season 1 become a 73% hit with critics on Rotten Tomatoes and the most popular English-language show of all time on the platform. Moreover, Gough cited the creative connection between Burton and Ortega as another motivation for the director to keep going with Wednesday.
“He just loves the show, and he loves doing it and loves working with Jenna, and it’s great. Believe me, we’re thrilled because I’m with you, I would’ve thought he’d be like, ‘I did it. Peace out.’ Yeah. No, he doesn’t do that. I think when he loves something… This is the thing, he’s not cynical at all. And I think that’s the other reason Beetlejuice has worked, because he didn’t make it for any other reason than he wanted to make that movie. He wanted to tell that story. There is nothing cynical. It is completely Tim. And I think it’s amazing when you think he’s had a forty-year career, he has an incredibly specific style. We all know what a Tim Burton movie is, and it’s so unique and peculiar, and yet it’s somehow completely universal, and it’s… There was literally… I can’t think of any other filmmaker like him.”
How Far Along Is ‘Wednesday’ Season 2?
Shows with as many moving parts as Wednesday take time, especially with a starry cast including Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Isaac Ordonez, Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, and Fred Armisen, along with Season 2 newcomers Steve Buscemi, Christopher Lloyd, and Thandiwe Newton. Ortega is also taking a step up this time around, becoming a producer on the show going forward. Thus far, Gogh says “We are about halfway through production,” on Season 2, with Burton still working on his episodes. The cast and crew returned to set back in May, meaning there’s still plenty of work to be done at Nevermore Academy, but everything is moving along nicely for a likely return late next year.
Season 2 is taking things to greater heights for Wednesday Addams and her friends as it looks to build on the tease of a stalker and plenty of other mysteries surrounding the town of Jericho. To match the wait between seasons, there will be a two-year time gap between the last finale and the premiere, leaving open plenty of possibilities for where the story could head next. Two things we do know, thanks to Ortega, are that there will be more action and horror as the series begins to pull more from cinematic influences like Prom Night and Carrie. However, Season 2 is also reducing an element that the team and viewers believe held Season 1 back — the romance. Wednesdayis definitely in her single season this time around, with more room to focus on her friendships like with Myers’ Enid Sinclair, and emphasize the horror elements.
In the meantime, Wednesday Season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix for those who haven’t partaken in Burton’s creepy and kooky series. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on Season 2 as updates come out.
Watch on Netflix