In a brilliant bout of casting, Catherine Zeta-Jones has joined the cast of Tim Burton’s Addams Family spin-off Wednesday at Netflix.
The Hollywood Reporter has it that Zeta-Jones will play Morticia Addams in a guest starring role on the eight-episode show. While the series focuses on young Wednesday Addams and her exploits at Nevermore Academy, it sounds like her mother will have at least a presence.
Catherine Zeta-Jones joins a stacked cast in Tim Burton’s Wednesday
News of Zeta-Jones’ casting follows the announcement that actor Luis Guzman was tapped to play Gomez Addams, with Jenna Ortega in the starring role as Wednesday.
As soon as Burton’s project was announced, conversations turned to the actors who would bring the members of the iconic Addams Family to life. The original TV series debuted in 1964 and ran for two seasons on ABC. John Astin served as the charismatic patriarch of the family, but fans agreed that it was always Carolyn Jones’ Morticia who called the shots.
Later, the show was adapted into a series of movies with Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston as Gomez and Morticia. The movie’s success was largely attributed to Christina Ricci’s performance as Wednesday Addams, the diminutive but brilliant Addams daughter with a penchant for torture. (Who can forget the line about Girl Scout cookies?)
Zeta-Jones, the statuesque beauty who made being a killer look sexy in Chicago, has the poise and wit to bring Morticia to life with ease, and there’s no doubt she and Guzman will embody the famous couple for a new generation.
The Netflix series will reportedly focus on Wednesday’s adventures at Nevermore Academy, where she’s learning more about her abilities while also dealing with a killer in the local town and trying to solve a mystery tied to her family’s history.
Burton, who is known for The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands, is the ideal person to bring the Addams family back to the spotlight.
Zeta-Jones’ husband Michael Douglas stars in The Kominski Method over at Netflix, so having a Netflix series is now a family affair.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels
h/t The A.V. Club