Netflix brings Wednesday Addams to life

Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams in Tim Burton’s film

Netflix, MGM/UA Television and director Tim Burton are working on a live-action series centred on the character of Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family.

The coming-of-age comedy, written by Al Gough and Miles Millar, will follow Wednesday as she grapples with adolescence whilst studying at Nevermore Academy.

The series will see Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice director Burton, who also helmed the 1991 Addams Family movie, make his directorial debut on television.

The team behind the show also includes Andrew Mittman for 1.21 (The Addams Family, Alphas), Kevin Miserocchi (Tee and Charles Addams Foundation), Kayla Alpert (Code Black, Up All Night), Jonathan Glickman for Glickmania (Respect, Addams Family 2) and Gail Berman (The Addams Family, Alphas).

Teddy Biaselli, director of original series at Netflix, said: “When we first heard Al Gough and Miles Millar’s pitch for Wednesday we were struck, like an arrow from a crossbow, right in our hearts. They nailed the tone, the spirit and the characters but gave us a fresh way into this story.

“Tim has had a history of telling empowering stories about social outsiders like Edward Scissorhands, Lydia Deitz and Batman. And now he brings his unique vision to Wednesday and her spooky classmates at Nevermore Academy.”

In related news, Netflix and Belgian pubcaster VRT have partnered on Diamonds (8×50’), a crime drama set in the heart of the world’s largest diamond district.

Co-created by Yuval Yefet (Fauda, Line in the Sand) and Rotem Shamir (Hostages, Fauda, Line in the Sand), it will be coproduced by Keshet International and Belgian prodco De Mensen.

The series follows the struggles of one of Antwerp’s most influential diamond-dealing families, The Wagners. When their youngest son commits suicide, his long-estranged brother Noah returns to take charge of the family business.

To be shot in Dutch, English and Yiddish, Diamonds has been commissioned by Netflix alongside VRT’s head of scripted, Wim Janssen, and is supported by Screen Flanders. Filming is set to begin this summer for a 2022 premiere on both Netflix and VRT.