Wednesday: Netflix Series to Become Biggest Production Ever Shot in Ireland
The Irish prime minister visited the set of Wednesday Season 2.
Wednesday, Netflix's Tim Burton-created spinoff of The Addams Family, is set to become the biggest production ever filmed in Ireland. The first season had filmed in Romania, so the second season moving to Ireland is a boon to the local economy (although, as Variety noted in a recent story, it was hardly a surprise given that the move had already been unofficially known for a while). According to Screen Ireland, the amount spent locally by the production will make Wednesday the "largest production to ever film in Ireland," surpassing Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Per Variety, Irish prime minister Taoiseach Simon Harris visited the set of Wednesday, meeting with Burton, showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and several of the series' cast and crew.
"I'm delighted to see Ireland continues to be chosen as a location to film series and movies which supports our economy, creates jobs, showcases our creative talents and promotes our country on a global stage," Harris said in a statement.
It's worth noting that Ireland and Northern Ireland are not the same place, so Wednesday sets this record without competing with the likes of Game of Thrones and Krypton, which both filmed in Belfast and had pretty elaborate productions.
The cast of Wednesday Season 2 will include Ortega, Steve Buscemi, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman, Joanna Lumley, Christopher Lloyd, Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Hunter Doohan, Fred Armisen, Thandiwe Newton, Victor Dorobantu, Billie Piper, Haley Joel Osment, Heather Matarazzo, Georgie Farmer, Moosa Mostafa, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, Isaac Ordonez, Evie Templeton, Owen Painter, Noah Taylor, Frances O'Connor, Joonas Suotamo, Jamie McShane and more. A recent report has indicated that Percy Hynes White, who drew controversy in 2023 after being accused of sexual abuse, will not be returning as Xavier Thorpe.
Per its official synopsis, Wednesday is 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.
Series star Ortega -- who is stepping into a producer role this season -- had said that Wednesday season 2 would be backing away from the love story to lean more into horror and macabre elements.
"We've decided we want to lean into the horror aspect of the show a little bit more," Ortega said. "Because it is so lighthearted, and a show like this with vampires and werewolves and superpowers, you don't want to take yourself too seriously."
There are no details about the story for season 2 yet, but fans are waiting for that trailer to drop. Wednesday season 2 is expected on Netflix in 2025.