The Addams Family is clicking their fingers back onto our screens this spooky season in Netflix’s Wednesday, a reimagining of the kooky clan that puts Jenna Ortega’s morose teen front and center. Not that fans need to worry, though, as the rest of the family will be present and correct, as well, including the legendary, lightbulb-lighting Uncle Fester. The only trouble is… we have no idea who’ll be playing him.
Vanity Fair has revealed some first-look images from the upcoming series, which is to be directed by Tim Burton, that unite the fearsome foursome. Joining Ortega’s Wednesday in the photos are Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia, Luiz Guzman as Gomez, and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley. Fester is conspicuous for his absence, then, but co-showrunner Alfred Gough confirmed the character will also appear.
He just neglected to mention who they cast in the role. Gough, who serves as executive producer alongside writing partner and fellow Smallville creator Miles Millar, was quizzed on who’s portraying Fester in the series but would not budge. “We have no comment on Uncle Fester. Just watch the show,” was all Gough had to say.
The part of Fester was originated by Jackie Coogan in the original 1960s sitcom, while ’90s kids will remember Christopher Lloyd’s even more demented take on the role in 1991’s The Addams Family and its 1993 sequel The Addams Family Values. More recently, Nick Kroll voiced the character in both the 2019 animated film and its 2021 sequel.
With Christina Ricci returning to the Addams-verse for Wednesday in a mysterious capacity, it’s tempting to imagine that Christopher Lloyd could be reprising his own role in the show. That would be an exciting enough surprise to warrant all the secrecy. Whoever it is, producers are clearly hoping the shock reveal of our new Fester will light up social media once Wednesday hits Netflix this Halloween.