It looks like Netflix has found their new Wednesday Addams, giving Jenna Ortega the “official” boot.
Jenna Ortega is no stranger to Netflix. While many recognize her as Wednesday Addams from the Netflix original series Wednesday, a spin-off from The Addams Family that features Ortega as the titular character of Nevermore Academy, this is not her only show or film on the platform.
Ortega appeared in the popular thriller You, starring Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg. The horror film X is streaming on Netflix, as well as Jane the Virgin, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, and Yes Day.
In November 2022, Netflix revamped The Addams Family, reintroducing classic characters like Wednesday Addams, Pugsley Addams, Thing, Uncle Fester, Morticia Addams, and Gomez Addams under the direction of Tim Burton. This reboot quickly became a hit.
Surprisingly, the first season of Wednesday has become Netflix’s most-viewed English-speaking single season ever, surpassing the previous record set by Stranger Things. With 252 million views and 1.7 billion hours watched, its popularity is staggering, explaining Netflix’s high priority on the second season. The only show to top it is Squid Game, which is set to debut its second season this fall.
In the upcoming season, Jenna Ortega’s love story will fizzle, partly due to the writing out of Percy Hynes White after false abuse accusations. Ortega will star alongside White in a new romance called Winter Spring Summer or Fall. This season will take a darker turn, and with Ortega now in the producer’s seat, she aims to make each episode feel more like a movie in terms of plot and character development.
Viewers can expect Jenna Ortega to reprise her role as Wednesday Addams, alongside returning cast members portraying the Addams family: Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia, Luis Guzmán as Gomez, and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley. It’s highly likely that Wednesday’s classmates at Nevermore, including Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) and Bianca Barclay (Joy Sunday), will also return.
New cast members include Christopher Lloyd, Steve Buscemi, Thandiwe Newton, Joanna Lumley, Haley Joel Osment, Heather Matarazzo, and Billie Piper. While Christopher Lloyd is best known for his role as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future films, it’s uncertain what role he will play in the Tim Burton show. The show plans to introduce other members from The Addams Family, so Lloyd could potentially play one of these characters or perhaps a new villainous role.
It’s exciting to see Lloyd return to The Addams Family, as he originally played Uncle Fester in the 1991 live-action feature film and its 1993 sequel, Addams Family Values. Both films co-starred Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams.
A new member of the Addams family will join the cast, though it’s unclear who this will be. “I would love to see Cousin Itt,” Ortega mentioned.
Based on the current filming schedule, it seems likely that the second season of Wednesday will debut in 2025, alongside the predicted final season of Stranger Things.
Wednesday is a production of MGM Television, a company currently owned by Amazon Prime. Despite this, it is expected to continue airing on Netflix, as the agreement between Netflix and MGM for Wednesday was established well before Amazon acquired the studio
In the past, there have been rumors of Jenna Ortega replacing other Hollywood stars, such as Rachel Zegler in Disney’s Snow White (which was proven false), but rarely would anyone else imagine someone other than Ortega to play the role of Wednesday Addams.
Until now.
Netflix is actively promoting the new Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie on their social media right now, with Sandy Cheeks’ poster looking identical to Wednesday Addams’ promotional poster, but in this animated version, we have Sandy looking down at the camera, instead of the braided Wednesday Addams.
Sandy and SpongeBob, welcome to Netflix.
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie premieres August 2! pic.twitter.com/ysV4mf*ck56
— Netflix (@netflix) July 15, 2024
For context, this is the original poster for Wednesday.
Knowing the popularity of Wednesday, it is not too shocking to see that Netflix is trying to capitalize off of what they know did well for the upcoming SpongeBob film.
Twenty-five years after its debut on Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants remains a cultural touchstone, captivating audiences of all ages. The series, centered around the optimistic and enthusiastic sea sponge, has spawned a vast media franchise, including successful films, merchandise, and now, a growing cinematic universe.
The upcoming Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie marks a significant milestone for the franchise. Centered on the adventurous squirrel Sandy Cheeks, the film promises to introduce new dimensions to the beloved characters and their underwater world. Carolyn Lawrence, the voice of Sandy Cheeks, has expressed her enthusiasm for the project, highlighting the character’s importance as a positive role model for young girls.
“I’m glad that after 25 years, she’s getting her moment,” Lawrence said. “She’s been such a phenomenal character for girls and women, because she is an atypical animated character. She’s highly capable. She is athletic. She is ridiculously smart. She’s a lot of things that female animated characters traditionally haven’t necessarily been able to be.”
The film’s plot involves a daring rescue mission as Sandy Cheeks and SpongeBob SquarePants embark on a journey to Sandy’s home state of Texas to save Bikini Bottom from the clutches of a villainous entrepreneur named Sue Nahmee. This adventure will introduce Sandy’s family, a cast of quirky Texan rodents, offering the potential for future spin-offs and character development.
You can check out the trailer for the upcoming film below, it will release on Netflix on August 2, 2024.
SpongeBob SquarePants has become a cornerstone of Nickelodeon’s success, often referred to as the “Mickey Mouse” of the network. The series has spawned three feature films, with a fourth installment planned for 2025. To capitalize on the franchise’s enduring popularity, Netflix is developing additional spin-off movies, including a Plankton film, scheduled for release in 2025.
As the SpongeBob SquarePants universe expands, it is clear that the franchise will continue to entertain and engage audiences for years to come. With characters like Sandy Cheeks taking center stage, the future of Bikini Bottom looks bright.
We have seen Netflix capitalize on their popular IP’s in the past, as well as actors such as Stranger Things‘ Millie Bobby Brown, so it is not shocking to see the platform continue to use their success as a marketing tool.
Wednesday season 2, on the other hand, is currently filming in Ireland and is set to be the biggest production to have ever filmed in the country. Right now, the show is set to wrap in November, and as we mentioned earlier, many are hoping for a 2025 release date. Initially the show may have come out much sooner, in 2024, however the SAG/AFTRA strike pushed the filming dates for the show back quite a bit.
Jenna Ortega will be back on the silver screen under Tim Burton’s direction soon, however, with the debut of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice this September.
Why do you think Netflix used the iconic Wednesday pose for the new SpongeBob spin-off poster?
