Live-action Wednesday Addams series from Tim Burton greenlit at Netflix

The iconic Wednesday Addams is going solo in a new live-action series from Tim Burton.

Burton, the brilliant mind behind movies such as 1989’s Batman and 1990’s Edward Scissorhands, is set to direct and co-executive produce, along with show-runners Al Gough and Miles Millar. Gough and Millar previously worked together on another coming-of-age story in the form of Smallville, The CW’s show about Superman’s formative teenage years as Clark Kent, which ran for ten seasons.

The Netflix series, simply titled Wednesday, is said to be a coming-of-age comedy that follows Wednesday’s years at Nevermore Academy. There, she will attempt to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a deadly killing spree, and solve the supernatural mystery that ensnared her parents 25 years ago. Additionally, like most YA series, Wednesday will have to deal with it all while navigating her new and complex relationships at school.

The character of Wednesday Addams first debuted in 1938, as part of The Addams Family, a fictional household created by famed cartoonist Charles Addams. Throughout the years, there have been several animated and live-action iterations of the character, most famously portrayed by award-winning actress Christina Ricci in 1991’s The Addams Family and it’ sequel, Addams Family Values in 1993.

Ricci’s performance, particularly in Addams Family Values, helped propel the character into the mainstream, with both Addams Family films becoming part of annual movie marathons for both the Halloween and Thanksgiving seasons.

Highlights from Ricci’s performance can be viewed in the video below.

This marks Burton’s first foray into live-action television, though he previously developed and executive produced the Beetlejuice animated series, which was loosely based on his 1988 film of the same name, which ran for four seasons from 1989-1991.

Described as a “sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery,” the series sounds like it will be the perfect successor to Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which ended its run late last year. No casting announcements have been made as of yet, but the series is reportedly being fast-tracked for the Fall television season so expect them sooner rather than later.

Are you excited about Wednesday Addams getting her own Netflix series? Let us know in the comments section below.