Netflix Considering “Wednesday” Spinoff Centered Around Fred Armisen’s Uncle Fester Character

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Fred Armisen’s most recent role may be festering a new series…

Netflix is looking to build a franchise around its reigning most popular series, with a Wednesday spinoff centered around the 57-year-old half-Venezuelan American actor/comedian’s Uncle Fester character in early development at the streamer from MGM Television.

Conversations about the offshoot are happening alongside preparations for Season 2 of Wednesday — a new take of The Addams Family starring Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams — which became a ratings and pop culture phenomenon when it launched in November 2022.

The horror comedy ranks as Netflix’s most popular English-language series with 252.1M views, almost doubling the next most popular television season on the streamer.

Armisen guest starred in one episode of Wednesday‘s first season in a memorable appearance as Uncle Fester, brother of Wednesday’s father Gomez Addams (Luis Guzman), who used his ability to generate electricity to revive Thing.

Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Hunter Doohan, Percy Hynes White, Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Georgie Farmer, Naomi J. Ogawa, Christina Ricci and Moosa Mostafa co-starred in Season 1, with Catherine Zeta-Jones recurring as Wednesday’s mother Morticia.

Season 2 will be filmed in Ireland, with production tentatively slated to begin in late April. Season 1 was shot in Romania.

There is little information about where the mothership Wednesday series would go thematically in Season 2.

Gough and Millar have hinted that we might see more Addams family members — further expanding the universe and potentially setting up new offshoots — and explore further Wednesday’s relationship with her mother while Ortega, who is becoming a producer for Season 2, has indicated that the show would have stronger emphasize on horror over teen romance.

Netflix Releases First Look at Jenna Ortega as “Wednesday” in Upcoming Addams Family Television Series

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Jenna Ortega is embracing her Family…

Netflix has revealed the first look at “Wednesday,” the upcoming Addams Family television series starring the famous clan’s daughter, with the 19-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress and Scream 5 star in the title role.

First created by Charles Addams for a series of New Yorker cartoons, the Addams Family is a bizarre aristocratic clan with an obsession of the macabre and a complete lack of concern regarding how others perceive them.

Following their creation, the characters grew in popularity after a 1964 sitcom fleshed out their personalities, and have since starred in two live-action theatrical films, two animated series, a Broadway musical and two animated films.

The only daughter of parents Gomez and Morticia, Wednesday was depicted in the original sitcom as the most sweet-natured of the family.

However, the 1991 Barry Sonnenfeld-directed film adaptation changed her personality to be much more deadpan and sadistic, with Christina Ricci’s portrayal in the film making her one of the most popular characters in the franchise.

“Wednesday” spins-off the character as she attends a boarding school Nevermore Academy, where she develops psychic powers and investigates a supernatural killing spree connected to her own family’s history.

In addition to Ortega as Wednesday, the rest of the Addams Family will make appearances in the show. Catherine Zeta-Jones is part of the main cast as matriarch Morticia, while Victor Dorobantu plays the disembodied hand servant of the family, Thing. Isaac Ordonez plays Wednesday’s brother Pugsley in a recurring role, while George Burcea plays the family manservant Lurch. Luis Guzmán will guest star in the series as Wednesday’s father Gomez.

The main cast of the show includes Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Percy Hynes White, Gwendoline Christie, Thora Birch, Hunter Doohan, Joy Sunday, Emma Myers, Georgie Farmer, Naomi Ogawa and Moosa Mostafa. In a nod to the ’90s films, Ricci will also appear in an unconfirmed role.

Al Gough and Miles Millar, the creators of the Superman series Smallville, serve as showrunners and executive producers for the series.

Tim Burton will also executive produce and direct the majority of episodes, with Gandja Monteiro and James Marshall serving as additional directors.

The series is produced by MGM Television for Netflix.

Kevin Alves to Appear in Showtime’s Drama Series “Yellowjackets”

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Kevin Alves is seeing yellow…

The 29-year-old half-Brazilian Canadian actor and figure skater has joined the cast of Showtime’s drama series Yellowjackets.

Alves is part of a roster of new cast additions that includes Sarah Desjardins and Alexa Barajas. The three will appear in recurring roles.

Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci and Tawny Cypress star in the drama series from writers Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, Entertainment One and studio-based producer Drew Comins. Production has begun in Vancouver, Canada for a 2021 debut on the network.

Equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama, Yellowjackets is the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.

Desjardins plays Callie, the teenaged daughter of Shauna (Lynskey).

Alves portrays teenage Travis. Guarded, insecure, and sometimes obnoxious, teenage Travis struggles to be decent while using his mask of indifference to navigate his inexperience with girls and figure out how to live among them.

Barajas plays teenage Mari. A member of the varsity Yellowjackets, she’s known as a chatterbox and yearns for the attention of the popular crowd.

Ella Purnell, Sammi Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher, Sophie Nélisse, Steven Krueger and Jasmin Savoy Brown also star in Yellowjackets, described tonally as Big Little Lies meets Lord of the Flies.

Desjardins is known for her portrayal of Donna Sweett in Riverdale and has also appeared in series including Impulse, Project Mc² and Van Helsing.

Alves can most recently be seen in Locke & Key and Shadowhunters.

Barajas can currently be seen as Ultraviolet on The Flash. Her other credits include feature Endless and the CW’s Charmed.

Peter Gadiot to Appear on Showtime’s Drama Series “Yellowjackets”

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Peter Gadiot is seeing yellow(jackets)…

The 35-year-old half-Mexican actor has landed a recurring role on Showtime’s drama series Yellowjackets.

Gadiot joins a roster of new cast additions that includes Warren Kole, Keeya King and Alex Wyndham.

Production has begun in Vancouver, Canada for a 2021 debut on the network.

Gadiot will portray Adam, a magnetic and curious stranger who, drawn to something inexplicable in one of our adult Yellowjackets, will befriend and provoke her at a tumultuous time in her life.

Ella Purnell, Sammi Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher, Sophie Nélisse, Steven Krueger and Jasmin Savoy Brown also star in Yellowjackets, described tonally as Big Little Lies meets Lord of the Flies.

Karyn Kusama, who directed the pilot, executive produces. eOne is the studio.

Gadiot can be seen in the lead role of James Valdez in Queen of the South, which is wrapping up its fifth and final season.

His other credits include Supergirl, Tut, Matador, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Fresh Meat, Hot Mess and The Forbidden Girl.

Jenna Ortega to Star in Netflix’s Addams Family-Themed Series “Wednesday”

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Jenna Ortega is all about Hump Day…

The 18-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress has landed the title role in Wednesday, Tim Burton’s live-action Addams Family series for Netflix focused on the iconic character of Wednesday Addams.

The coming-of-age comedy, written by Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar and to be directed by Burton, is a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ (Ortega) years as a student at Nevermore Academy. That’s where she attempts to 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 while navigating her new and very tangled relationships.

The YA series, Wednesday Addams’ first solo vehicle, marks Burton’s first live-action show and his television directing debut.

Ortega is taking over the role from Christina Ricci, the actress most closely associated the character, who played Wednesday in both feature films, The Addams Family in 1991 and sequel Addams Family Values in 1993.

Burton executive produces with Gough and Millar, who will serve as showrunners on the series. Wednesday is produced by MGM Television, which controls the underlying rights to the IP.

Ortega burst onto the scene in 2014 with two major recurring roles on Fox’s Rake and the CW’s Jane the Virgin. The latter, where Ortega played younger version of the title character, put her on the map, and Ortega quickly landed her first series lead role on Disney Channel’s Stuck In the Middle.

A lead role on Season 2 of Netflix’s You followed. On the streamer, Ortega also recently co-starred in hit feature comedy Yes Day.

Her recent feature credits also include leads in The Fallout and the upcoming Scream.

Ortega shared the news on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jenna Ortega (@jennaortega)

Perez Joins Voice Cast of the Animated Film “The Hero Of Color City”

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Rosie Perez is adding a little color to her acting resume…

The 49-year-old Puerto Rican actress has joined the voice cast of Magnolia Pictures’ The Hero Of Color City.

The animated feature chronicles the adventures of a diverse band of crayons that come alive in a little boys room when he drifts off to sleep.

In addition to Perez, who will voice the character of Red, The Hero Of Color City’s voice cast will include Owen Wilson, Jessica Capshaw, Christina Ricci, Wayne Brady and Craig Ferguson.

The animated film will be directed by Frank Gladstone.

It’s the latest project for Perez, who recently signed on to star in the indie film Five Nights in Maine.

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