When Netflix announced earlier this year that it was creating a new, Tim Burton-directed Addams Family live-action series, following their macabre daughter, Wednesday, into her teenage years, we were intrigued.

Then in August, when the streaming platform confirmed that Catherine Zeta-Jones had joined the cast of Wednesday to take on the role of matriarch Morticia Addams, we got seriously excited.

Now, we know that yet another star will be joining the cast: Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie.

Best known for her portrayal of tough-talking but quietly sensitive Brienne of Tarth in HBO’s hit series, Christie will take on the role of another fierce woman – brand-new character Larissa Weems, the principal of Nevermore Academy, the school Wednesday attends.

Whether she’ll be a Miss Trunchbull-like figure remains to be seen, but according to Deadline, Weems has a backstory that involves a historic rivalry with none other than Wednesday’s mother, Morticia. 

And it seems she still has a very hefty axe to grind with her former classmate.

Two iconic British leading ladies going head-to-head in a deliciously dark Hollywood series? Well played, Netflix. Very well played.

As reported on 10 August 2021: In what marks Tim Burton’s first live-action show and his TV directing debut, for Wednesday, The Addams Family will be re-imagined as a coming-of-age dark comedy, with YOU’s Jenna Ortega playing the titular role.

While Catherine Zeta-Jones joins the list of actors who have previously played Morticia Addams including Anjelica Huston, Charlize Theron and Daryl Hannah, there’s no doubt that the Academy, BAFTA and Tony winning actress will bring her own flair to this reimagination of the iconic family.

Written by Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar, the eight-episode series is described as a “sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ years as a student at Nevermore Academy. Wednesday’s 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 at Nevermore.”

The series will also star Luis Guzmán, who will appear as Gomez Addams, and further casting is expected to be announced later this year.

Sadly, there is no trailer or release date as of yet, but Netflix’s promotional poster does provide a few hints as to what we can expect from the remake. It features Wednesday’s silhouette, complete with her trademark plaits, clutching a cello and a knife between black painted fingernails. Wednesday seems like it’s shaping up to be the angsty/spooky series of dreams.

Images: Getty/Netflix