Picture: Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester – MGM Television
As the platform’s most successful English-speaking Original series, we aren’t surprised that Netflix is building a franchise around Wednesday, beginning with a spin-off series centered around Wednesday Addams’ eccentric Uncle Fester.
It has been reported that conversations about a spin-off have been ongoing while MGM Television has been prepping for the second season of Wednesday. The second season is moving production from Romania to Ireland, which is expected to begin filming in April 2024.
Fred Armisen is expected to reprise his role as Uncle Fester, who only had a fleeting appearance in the first season of Wednesday. Notably, in his one-episode appearance, Uncle Fester helped revive Thing after Wednesday found the hand stabbed and pinned against the wall. He also helped Wednesday identify the monster running rampant at Nevermore Academy as a Hyde.
Armisen had plenty to say to Netflix Tudum about learning about the project, Tim Burton’s involvement, and playing the role of Uncle Fester;
“Then, when I heard what the project was, I wanted to do it even more. And when it was like, ‘Well, it’s Uncle Fester,’ it just made complete sense to me. It doesn’t happen that often, but it was a real case of, ‘Oh, I’m the guy for this. This is something that I would really love to do.’ ”
He also touched upon Uncle Fester’s relationship with his niece, Wednesday;
“Even though it’s a world of weirdos, she’s an extra weirdo and so is he,” he reflects. “But still, they’re both smiling, that’s the fun part. They’re both having fun. They’re not dark black sheep. It’s more like a weird black sheep.
You know how immediate family drives you crazy? It’s kind of like my relationship as an uncle to my nephews. I get to pop in for a few episodes of my sister’s life, and it’s fun I keep it fun and then that’s it.”
Picture: Jenna Ortega as Wednesday (left) and Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester (right) – MGM Television
It remains unclear if Wednesday showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar will be the showrunners behind the Uncle Fester spin-off. We have yet to learn if director and executive producer Tim Burton will be working on the series. Jenna Ortega is a producer for the second season of Wednesday, but her involvement in the Uncle Fester spin-off is unknown.
Wednesday is the platform’s second most popular Netflix Original and the most popular English language series. In total, the series amassed an astonishing 252.1 million views.
Are you looking forward to watching an Uncle Fester series on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
