New Face at Nevermore: Billie Piper Joins the World of Wednesday

Netflix has revealed the first look at Billie Piper as a new cast member for the upcoming second season of Wednesday. The 42-year-old British actress will play a mysterious character named Isadora Capri, the head of music at the school Wednesday Addams attends in the show, Nevermore Academy.

Known for playing Brona Croft/The Bride of Frankenstein in Penny Dreadful, Piper has a long history of playing gothic and supernatural characters. Isadora Capri is described as “a former child prodigy, she takes a special interest in Wednesday’s (Jenna Ortega) music abilities. She also serves as the mentor of werewolf student Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers). Myers, who previously played Wednesday’s little sister Ginerver, is a returning cast member in Season 2.”

Netflix posted the first photos of Piper in character today, alongside a major update about the future of the record-breaking series. Wednesday first launched on Netflix in November 2022 and became an instant global hit. It has been watched by 252 million households around the world, making it Netflix’s biggest English-language series to date. In January 2023, the show was renewed for a second season, and now that’s set to arrive in August of this year.

Wednesday is a dark reimagining of the Addams Family world, following 22-year-old Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams as she transfers to Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for supernatural outcasts. With a dose of horror, humor, and teen rebellion, the show took with viewers and critics, receiving Emmy nominations and amassing a huge and dedicated fanbase.

Wednesday Has Been Renewed For Season Three And A Spin-Off is In Works

In addition to the first look at Billie Piper, Netflix has shared more updates for Wednesday fans: the series has officially been renewed for a third season and a spin-off series is also in discussion.

A spin-off is currently being “worked on” behind the scenes, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with a report in January saying that discussions had been “robust and rapid”. No further details are available, but co-creator Alfred Gough has teased that they’re looking at other characters in the Wednesday universe to develop. In a new interview with the outlet, he said: “It’s something we’re definitely noodling; there are other characters we can look at.”

Netflix has also officially renewed Wednesday for a third season, which was already largely expected by fans. Catherine Zeta-Jones, who plays Wednesday’s mother Morticia in the series, officially confirmed the renewal in an Instagram post of her own, writing: “When Wednesday comes, a better day. Wednesday season three. It’s official…… we shall return.” In the comments, fans went wild over the announcement, with one writing: “And for many more seasons” and another: “I can’t wait to see the second season, I’m waiting for it with great curiosity……and the third is already official, fantastic news!”

Fans are hoping that they won’t have to wait quite as long for the next season as they did for the second. While it was announced in January 2023, the second season will come more than two years after the show’s initial debut. In the comments of Catherine Zeta-Jones’ post, one fan wrote: “I will be in agony holding the bedsheets waiting for season three, but please please please… Don’t let us wait another three years.”

Atelino Burford, who plays Sarg, is also an executive producer on the series, while Tim Burton, 66, returns as an executive producer and will also direct some episodes. Burton, who produced the first season, recently collaborated with Ortega in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel to the 1988 cult classic.

The upcoming season also features a massive list of new starry faces joining Wednesday’s cast. In addition to Billie Piper, the new season will see the likes of Lady Gaga, Steve Buscemi, Joanna Lumley, and Thandiwe Newton join the show. Series regulars returning for Season 2 include Gwendoline Christie as headteacher Larissa Weems and Luis Guzmán as Wednesday’s father, Gomez Addams.

Ortega herself is set to play a more active role behind the scenes, after the actress was cast in the role of producer in the second half of the season. Last year, some controversy surrounded the young actress after a podcast interview where she claimed that she would “change lines” during filming and sometimes had to “put my foot down” if the team wanted to film something for which she was not prepared. Burton later came out in public support of Ortega, saying that her words were “taken out of context” and that he’d have said the same himself if he had a job like Wednesday’s. Co-creator Alfred Gough also stood by Ortega, saying: “The fact that Jenna’s in that capacity is not surprising at all because she is. She watches the scripts very closely; she’s in the weeds of it.”

Joanna Lumley, who joins the series as Gloria Grand, shared her delight at joining the universe, saying: “There’s always something thrilling about working for Tim Burton. His whole mind takes him to a different world, and the world that they’ve created here for Wednesday and Nevermore and the family is just intoxicating.”