Jenna Ortega Says ‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Scripts Are ‘More Action-Packed,’ Have ‘More Horror’ and ‘Each Episode’ Feels a ‘Bit More Like a Movie’

Jenna Ortega told E! on the Emmys red carpet that she’s “received some scripts for the second season” of “Wednesday,” her Netflix mega-hit that debuted in fall 2022 and became one of the streamer’s most-watched original series of all time. Production on Season 2 got delayed by the Hollywood strikes last year but is expected to kick off in the spring.

“We’re definitely leaning into a little bit more horror,” Ortega said in an update to fans. “It’s really, really exciting because, all throughout the show, while Wednesday does need a little bit of an arc, she never really changes and that’s the wonderful thing about her.

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Ortega continued, “There’s really, really good one-liners and I think everything’s bigger. It’s a lot more action-packed. Each episode will probably feel a little bit more like a movie, which is nice.”

“Wednesday” is moving production from Romania to Ireland for Season 2 and is tentatively scheduled to start shooting in April, Variety confirmed last November. The series follows Jenna Ortega as the titular “Addams Family” character, who enrolls at Nevermore Academy. It was announced in December that Netflix is developing a spinoff centered on Fred Armisen’s Fester. “Wednesday” also features Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams.

During a conversation with Elle Fanning for Variety‘s “Actors on Actors” last year, Ortega revealed some of her biggest priorities for “Wednesday” Season 2.

“We’ve decided we want to lean into the horror aspect of the show a little bit more,” Ortega said at the time. “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.”

“We’re ditching any romantic love interest for Wednesday, which is really great,” she added, referring to the Season 1 storyline that saw Wednesday in a love triangle between Tyler Galpin (Hunter Doohan) and Xavier Thorpe (Percy Hynes White). In the past, Ortega has commented that the plot “made no sense” for her character.

Ortega attended the Emmys as a nominee for “Wednesday” in the outstanding lead actress in a comedy series category. Quinta Brunson took home the award for “Abbott Elementary.”

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