Jenna Ortega Abandoning ‘Wednesday’, Insider Reveals Season 2 Cast
The popular Netflix show had one of the most successful debut seasons of any television series in the history of the streaming platform. In just its first five days, Wednesday garnered more than 5.98 billion streaming minutes and has been well-received by both fans and critics alike. However, just because a show has had success doesn’t mean it will be able to keep its stars around for multiple seasons.
Such is the reported case with Jenna Ortega, who plays the role of Wednesday Addams in the series.
Inside the Magic previously covered that one insider, Matthew Belloni, had revealed that it doesn’t seem likely that the actress will return to the series after Season 2 finishes filming.
“Staying with Netflix, Season 2 of its biggest series doesn’t shoot until summer, but I’d be surprised if its 21-year-old star sticks around after that. It’s not just that she trashed the writing of the first season, or that she claimed to have saved the show from creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar,” Belloni wrote. “Ortega is red-hot on casting lists, has already quit the Scream franchise, has Beetlejuice 2 in September, and is said to want to follow the path of her fellow Disney Channel alums Zendaya and Austin Butler, which means prestige films. Hopefully, Netflix will have its planned Fester [Uncle Fester] spinoff ready to step in when she bails.”
With a bit of turmoil between Ortega and the writers, as well as her budding Hollywood career, Belloni believes that this will be the last season we see with Ortega as the lead. If she elects to move on, Netflix will have a major decision to make about the status of the show moving forward.
If that weren’t enough, Netflix may be dipping into the realm of “romance and drama” in Season 2, which is something that Jenna Ortega has openly opposed.
Plot & Cast for Wednesday Season 2
In the concluding episode of season 1, Wednesday, aided by her friends, confronted and defeated Joseph Crackstone (portrayed by William Houston), along with Laurel (played by Christina Ricci) and Tyler (Hunter Doohan). Tragically, amidst the turmoil, Principal Weems (depicted by Gwendoline Christie) tragically died, leading to the closure of Nevermore for the remainder of the semester.
As Wednesday made her way home, she encountered menacing threats from an unidentified stalker, foreshadowing the impending drama yet to unfold.
While nothing has been confirmed as far as the plot is concerned, Jenna Ortega did previously reveal that she is a producer for Season 2. This would lead us to believe that she will push for a “darker” Wednesday, despite the direction that it seems Netflix might want to head with the series.
“I kind of want her to be darker,” she told Entertainment Tonight in December 2022. “I want her to get more in the nitty-gritty of things and not play things so safe, because there are a lot of lines about her saving the school and doing whatever, but for me, her main drive with the monster is of a competitiveness. Kind of, ‘Man, how’s this guy doing this?’”
US Magazine reports the following on cast members who are set to return for Season 2:
“Ortega, Emma Myers, Percy Hynes White, Joy Sunday, Georgie Farmer and Moosa Mostafa would presumably return to Nevermore Academy. Hunter Doohan, Ricci and Jamie McShane could also come back after the events of the season 1 finale,” the publication said.
While some reports indicate that Percy Hynes White (Xavier Thorpe) is set to reprise his role, allegations against the actor shed uncertainty on his availability for the series. The actor denies all allegations, and Netflix has not issued an official statement on his status for Season 2.
