Wednesday Renewed for Season 3 with Spin-Off in the Works

Netflix has released the first look at Billie Piper as her new character for season 2 of Wednesday, the gothic teen comedy series starring Jenna Ortega. The 42-year-old is set to play Isadora Capri, who will join the cast as a never-before-seen character.

Wednesday is the story of Wednesday Addams, who moves to Nevermore Academy to continue her education among a school for supernatural and gothic outcasts. Known for shows like Dawson’s Creek and Channel 4’s Dr. Who, Piper will join the cast of Wednesday for the second season, which was recently renewed for a third.

Piper’s previous gothic roles include, most notably, her time as Brona Croft/The Bride of Frankenstein in Penny Dreadful. For the new role on Wednesday, Piper will play Isadora Capri, a former child prodigy who is the head of music at Nevermore Academy. She has a “special interest in Wednesday Addams’ musical gift” and is also the mentor to werewolf student Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers).

Netflix released the first photos of Piper in character on the same day as some major announcements for the hit series. Launched in November 2022, Wednesday quickly became a global sensation, with 252 million viewers watching the series worldwide in just two months. It became Netflix’s most popular original English-language series of all time, leading to it being renewed for a second season in January 2023. Season 2 will be released in August 2023.

“We are all super excited to be joining the cast of Wednesday and to work with the incredible Tim Burton, who brings something very special to the table,” Piper said in a statement. “Wednesday’s world is truly unique, and her character is such a strong and authentic female voice; it’s a real privilege to be involved with the series. Can’t wait for people to meet Isadora and see where her story takes us!”

Season 2 will see Piper as well as other new actors, including Lady Gaga, Steve Buscemi, Joanna Lumley, and Thandie Newton. Returning from the original cast are Jenna Ortega as Wednesday, Gwendoline Christie as headteacher Larissa Weems, and Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams, the character played by Addams Family icon Pedro Juan Garcia in the original show.

Season 2 will also feature more contributions from Ortega off-screen as well. The 22-year-old has now become one of the executive producers, following a row she was involved in over discrepancies in her dialogue. Ortega had said in a podcast interview that she had to “put her foot down” on some of the dialogue inconsistencies, leading to backlash online. Burton came out in her defense, releasing a statement that her words had been taken out of context. Ortega’s promotion as producer on Wednesday was quickly followed by a similar update for her work on the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel.

In other casting news for season 2, Emma Myers has also been promoted from a guest to a recurring role. Myers was initially cast in season 1, but has now been revealed as one of the main characters in season 2.

Emma Myers plays werewolf student Enid Sinclair, with Wednesday and Isadora Capri both acting as mentors for the character. Myers first joined the cast in October 2022 and was revealed to be back for the second season in March of this year.

Season 3 was also officially confirmed, following on the back of reports that a spin-off series was also being discussed. A source told The Hollywood Reporter that “discussions have begun” on a Wednesday spin-off and that it was being treated as a “priority”.

Joanna Lumley said in a statement of her excitement to be joining the Wednesday universe: “There’s always something thrilling about working for Tim Burton. His whole mind takes him to a different world, and the world that they’ve created here for Wednesday and Nevermore and the family is just intoxicating.”

Season 2 will be released on August 16, 2023.