It’s been a long time since we learned anything new about Wednesday season 2, but Netflix has finally clicked its fingers and delivered a big update for the show’s ravenous fanbase.
In a press release, Netflix confirmed today (Tuesday, May 7 – a strange day for a Wednesday-based reveal) that principal photography is now underway on Wednesday‘s sophomore season. Like its predecessor, season 2 will be filmed in Ireland, although it’s unclear how long it’ll shoot for. Regardless, considering that’s it’s been 16 months since Netflix renewed Wednesday for a second season after its record-breaking debut, we’re just glad filming is up and running.
That’s not the only big announcement that was made about one of the best Netflix shows ever created. As the YouTube video above shows, there are plenty of new faces among the season 2 cast, including Doctor Who alumnus Billie Piper, Star Wars‘ Joonas Suotamo, Westworld‘s Thandiwe Newton, and The Big Lebowski‘s Steve Buscemi. The latter duo were all but confirmed to feature in Wednesday season 2, mind you – indeed, we reported on Newton and Buscemi’s inclusions after Netflix added them to the second season’s roster in late April.
A familiar Addams Family face returns
Wednesday Season 2 is NOW IN PRODUCTION 🖤 Please give a round of double snaps to our cast — now including Christopher Lloyd, Steve Buscemi, Thandiwe Newton, Joanna Lumley, Haley Joel Osment, Heather Matarazzo, and Billie Piper! pic.twitter.com/v6nX6eLPP8May 7, 2024
Curiously, Wednesday season 2 has also drafted in legendary actor Christopher Lloyd as a guest star. Lloyd played Uncle Fester in the two Addams Family films that were released in theaters in the 1990s, but the beloved character was portrayed by Fred Armisen in Wednesday season 1. Netflix has confirmed that Armisen will be back as Uncle Fester for the season’s next installment, so Lloyd isn’t replacing Armisen to reprise one of his many iconic roles.
Okay, so who are the other newcomers playing? Netflix hasn’t revealed the identities of every new character, but the aforementioned YouTube video dropped some crowd-pleasing news on a few fronts. First, Joanna Lumley will take on the role of another Addams Family member in Grandmama. Piper will portray someone known as Capri, while Newton and Buscemi’s individuals are Doctor Fairburn and Barry Dort. Buscemi’s Dort is rumored to be the new principal of Nevermore Academy, who follows in the footsteps of Gwendoline Christie’s Larissa Weems.
Here’s a full list of the new series regulars – listed first – and guest stars that we’ll be seeing in season 2:
- Steve Buscemi (The Big Lebowski, Boardwalk Empire)
- Billie Piper (Scoop, Doctor Who season 1)
- Evie Templeton (Return to Silent Hill, Lord of Misrule)
- Owen Painter (Tiny Beautiful Things, The Handmaid’s Tale)
- Noah Taylor (Law & Order: Organized Crime, Park Avenue)
- Christopher Lloyd (Addams Family, Back to the Future)
- Joanna Lumley (Fool Me Once, Paddington 2)
- Thandiwe Newton (Westworld, Crash)
- Frances O’Connor (The Missing, The Twelve)
- Haley Joel Osment (The Kominsky Method, Somebody I Used to Know)
- Heather Matarazzo (The Princess Diaries, Scream)
- Joonas Suotamo (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Acolyte)
Unsurprisingly, lead star Jenna Ortega is back as the titular teen with supernatural abilities. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Isaac Ordonez, and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, who all appeared in the show’s smash hit first season, are also reprising their roles as Morticia Addams, Gomez Addams, Pugsley Addams, and Deputy Sheriff Ritchie Sanitago. All four cast members have been upgraded to series regulars. Lastly, Tim Burton returns to direct and executively produce the show alongside returning co-showrunners/writers/executive producers Al Gough and Miles Millar.
Wednesday season 2 doesn’t have a release date, but I’d be amazed if it doesn’t make its debut on the world’s best streaming service sometime in 2025.
