Tomorrow, Wednesday, Tim Burton makes his television directing debut with a fresh take on the classic macabre aristocratic family, the Addams, and today, Vanity Fair exclusively revealed a gallery of first-look images featuring the cast posing together in and out of character. The Addams Family was created by cartoonist Charles Addams and debuted in the late 1930s in issues of The New Yorker. They’ve seen several versions over the years, on cinema and on stage, with Burton directing the next Netflix version.
Written by Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, the show follows Wednesday, the daughter of Gomez and Morticia, as she navigates high school at Nevermore Academy through the prism of a coming-of-age story. Wednesday has a lot on her plate as she navigates the ups and downs of high school life, including learning to harness her psychic skills, stopping a murder spree that has gripped Jericho, and figuring out the secret that has plagued her family for decades. Colleen Atwood, a frequent collaborator of Burton’s who contributed to films like Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, created the costumes shown here.
The length of Gomez’s hair and the depth of Morticia’s eyes are just two examples of the many costumes and make-up choices that were made to bring to life as faithful a portrayal of the family as was feasible in the original cartoons. Gough explained that “[Burton] wanted the silhouette to seem more like the Charles Addams cartoons,” in which “Gomez is shorter than Morticia,” as opposed to the “sort of sophisticated Raul Julia version in the movies.” When you see the whole family in a group shot, you know the artists have captured the classic look of the family perfectly. Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Morticia is stunning in a long black mermaid dress.
Luis Guzmán as Gomez looks dapper in his striped suit, while Jenna Ortega as Wednesday wears a patterned black dress with a striking white collar. Isaac Ordonez’s portrayal of Pugsley gives him the most laid-back vibe of the four. The release date for the 8-episode comedy-horror series on Netflix has not been announced.