Netflix has finally unveiled the first look at Jenna Ortega as the Wednesday Addams in her new series, and from the looks of it, the scream queen has put her all into the gothic brat. In a crisp 15 seconds—go girl, give us nothing!—Wednesday introduces us to the beloved titular character. Yes, Netflix made this debut on a Monday. At least we didn’t have to wait two more days.
There’s so little to actually describe about Ortega’s debut; still, it’s perfect. I have no critiques, other than the fact that I’ll have to wait a few months to watch this blessed(/cursed) series. Ortega appears in an eerie spotlight, looping her thick black hair into two neat braids. Then, she adjusts her collar, and is joined by The Thing atop her shoulder. They snap. That’s a wrap!
The little details here prove that Ortega might just be a firm challenger to Christina Ricci, who has already been tapped for an unknown role in the new series. Ortega’s Wednesday sports slick black fingernails, walks without swinging her arms, and her long bangs reach the very tips of her eyelashes. A perfectly creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky rendition of an already iconic character.
It’s what we’ve come to expect from Jenna Ortega, who has already impressed horror audiences with a number of spooky roles. The young actress has been serving up a number of horrors, starting with You on Netflix and ranging to recent flicks Scream (the fifth installation in the Scream franchise) and X. She’ll revive her role as Tara Carpenter, the new Drew Barrymore character (with a twist!) of Scream, in the upcoming sixth film of the franchise.
Almost immediately after Netflix released the teaser on Monday, “Jenna Ortega” began trending, with fans marveling over how perfectly the makeover nails the Wednesday Addams aesthetic everyone was hoping for.
The logline for the fantasy master’s new series describes it as a “supernaturally infused mystery” following Wednesday Addams in her years at the Nevermore Academy. Wednesday must “master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago.”
All that, and she’s got to be a teenager too!
We’ve already been introduced to The Thing and Wednesday, but the rest of the series boasts a stacked cast. We’ve yet to see Catherine Zeta-Jones as matriarch Morticia Addams, Luiz Guzmán as her goofy husband Gomez, Isaac Ordonez as Pugsly, or George Burcea as Lurch.
Sadly, we don’t have an exact release date for Wednesday yet. Maybe Halloween, to keep the frights in theme? Mark every Wednesday in your calendar for now.
