Jenna Ortega Opens Up About Creative Challenges on Wednesday

Netflix has unveiled the first images of Billie Piper in her new role in Wednesday season 2, the popular gothic comedy series that returns with Jenna Ortega at its center. The 42-year-old Piper has joined the show’s cast for season 2 as Isadora Capri, a smart and secretive character who is the music department head at Nevermore Academy.

The British actor is most famous for her portrayal of Brona Croft/The Bride of Frankenstein in the gothic horror series Penny Dreadful. She joins Wednesday’s recurring cast member Emma Myers, who plays werewolf student Enid Sinclair, in helping Wednesday Addams hone her musical skills as a potential competition to her theater aspirations.

Netflix released stills of Piper in character alongside breaking news on Wednesday’s future. The original season first dropped on the streaming service back in November 2022, and it quickly became a sensation on a global level. With 252 million viewers worldwide tuning in, Wednesday became the platform’s most successful English-language series of all time. Renewed in January 2023 following the reception, the second season will now return in August this year.

Wednesday centers on Wednesday Addams, the dark-haired protagonist played by 22-year-old Jenna Ortega, who attends Nevermore Academy, a school that caters to supernatural outcasts. The series mixes together horror, comedy, and coming-of-age elements in its reimagining of the Addams Family world, and it became a favorite among fans and critics alike. Wednesday was even nominated for Emmys, but it also amassed a substantial and dedicated fanbase.

Wednesday season 3 is greenlit, and a spin-off is in the works

The revelation of Billie Piper joining the cast of Wednesday season 2 didn’t stop there, as Netflix announced a series of other major news on the show. Not only was the show officially renewed for season 3, but a spin-off series is also in the works.

Wednesday has been renewed for a third season, according to reports by The Hollywood Reporter. The same outlet also claims that discussions are taking place for a potential spin-off series. Co-creator Alfred Gough teased the news, saying, “It’s something we’re noodling; there are other characters we can look at.”

Fans of the series took to social media to voice their happiness over the announcements, while Catherine Zeta-Jones, who plays Morticia Addams, confirmed the renewal in her way. “When Wednesday comes, a better day. Wednesday season three. It’s official… we shall return,” the actor said in a knowing Instagram post. Fans left many comments such as “And for many more seasons,” “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!” and “I’ll be gripping the sheets in agony waiting but please… don’t let us wait three years again.”

Production companies confirm that work will begin soon on the second season of Wednesday, although some viewers are less concerned than others that a three-year wait will happen again. Despite being confirmed in January 2023, season 2 will debut more than two years after the first season dropped, and many people want to avoid that in the future. While Tim Burton, 66, will remain as executive producer and on occasion director, the visionary is now also in pre-production on Beetlejuice, the upcoming sequel to his 1988 classic that he directed, with Ortega returning to reprise her role from the original.

Season 2 has added even more star power to the show. In addition to Billie Piper, Wednesday also welcomes the likes of Lady Gaga, Steve Buscemi, Joanna Lumley, and Thandie Newton. Regular cast members such as Gwendoline Christie as headteacher Larissa Weems and Luis Guzmán as Wednesday’s father Gomez Addams are also returning.

Actress Ortega has even more of an expanded role in the show this time around. Ortega took on the new position of producer in the wake of controversy that had swirled around a podcast interview in which she said she was changing her lines on set and had to “put her foot down” after inconsistencies over how her character was portrayed. Director Tim Burton stepped forward to vouch for her, and many of the comments were later taken out of context. Co-creator Alfred Gough had previously said that Ortega’s new job title made total sense, as she was already heavily involved with the creative aspect and was constantly being given scripts and giving notes.

Joanna Lumley, one of the stars to join the cast, said of working with Burton, “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.”

Fans will have to wait until August to see what Wednesday season 2 has in store, but the newly announced future is a good sign for the series, as it was clear many of the actors had enjoyed the experience and had a vision for more beyond a second season.