When the complete trailer for Tim Burton’s Wednesday series on Netflix was shown live from the Empire stage at New York Comic Con, the atmosphere took a somewhat frightening turn. The footage delves deeper into the mystery of Nevermore Academy and the peril that Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) and her students face there. There are plenty of surprises and heart-pounding scenes. The trailer begins with the arrival of the Addams Family to Nevermore Academy, where we are given a quick refresher on the history of the haunted institution and its students, including Wednesday’s new roommate Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers).
Wednesday finds that the school offers everything she could desire, from fencing to archery, but the ominous atmosphere, secret tunnels, secret clubs, and a homicidal creature prowling the halls leave her with a bad taste in her mouth. After she is approached by the guy in black, she begins to fear for her safety at the school and the surrounding woods. To everyone’s surprise, however, as he removes his hat, we see that it is in fact Fred Armisen playing the role of Uncle Fester. He rode in on his motorbike for Penny’s Pooch Patrol, so it looks like he’ll be sticking around to keep an eye on Wednesday and provide some comedic relief. The remaining film focuses entirely on ratcheting up suspense regarding Nevermore and its ties to the Addams Family. Wednesday talks about the apparently unending mysteries the school carries while showing many photos from the family’s burial.
Together with Enid, she is determined to uncover the scandal that plagued her parents during their time at the academy. Before the title card appears, there is a brief sequence in which the film gets into full horror mode, complete with a blood shower and Wednesday brandishing two tasers. Christina Ricci, who previously played Wednesday Addams, makes a brief but funny return appearance as Marilyn Thornhill in the penultimate scene of the teaser. The incredibly gifted ensemble of Wednesday promises to provide both chills and laughs in equal measure. Myers and Ricci will be joining Ortega at the Academy, as well as Gwendoline Christie, Jamie McShane, Percy Hynes White, Hunter Doohan, Joy Sunday, Naomi J. Ogawa, Moosa Mostafa, Georgie Farmer, and Riki Lindhome.
Addams Family members played by Armisen, Catherine Zeta-Jones (Morticia Addams), Luis Guzmán (Gomez Addams), Isaac Ordonez (Pugsley Addams), and Lucius Hoyos (Young Gomez), and Iman Marson (Lucas Walker) appear as guests. Calum Ross, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, and Victor Teodor Dorobantu round out the cast. Miles Millar and Al Gough write the scripts and administer the programme, while Burton directs and executive produces. Millar and Gough are committed to remaining within the canon of The Addams Family, but their creations of the really diabolical Wednesday and the strange and eerie
Nevermore Academy betrays the fact that they are having a great deal of fun doing so. Steve Stark, Andrew Mittman of 1.21 Entertainment, Kevin Miserocchi of the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation, Kayla Alpert, Jonathan Glickman of Glickmania, Gail Berman, Tommy Harper, Kevin Lafferty, and Kevin Lafferty also serve as executive producers.
The Thanksgiving Day premiere of Wednesday on Netflix is November 23.