Wednesday season 3 has added another major star to its cast in a key role.
Season 2 of the popular Netflix The Addams Family spin-off series concluded with the brief introduction of the sister of Catherine-Zeta Jones’ Morticia Addams, Ophelia Frump, but the character was only glimpsed from the back. There was a lot of speculation that Lady Gaga’s Rosalyn Rottwood would ultimately be unveiled as Wednesday's mysterious aunt, but we now know that this will not be the case.
Variety (via FearHQ.com) is reporting that Eva Green (Casino Royal, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Dark Shadows) has joined the cast of Wednesday season 3 in a series regular role as Aunt Ophelia.
"Eva Green has always brought an exhilarating, singular presence to the screen — elegant, haunting and beautifully unpredictable. Those qualities make her the perfect choice for Aunt Ophelia," co-creators and co-showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar said in a statement. "We're excited to see how she transforms the role and expands Wednesday's world."
Green added, "I'm thrilled to join the woefully twisted world of Wednesday as Aunt Ophelia. This show is such a deliciously dark and witty world, I can't wait to bring my own touch of cuckooness to the Addams family."
In season 2, we learned that Ophelia was committed by the Willow Hill psychiatric facility by her mother, Hester Frump (Joanna Lumley), before ultimately managing to escape. When Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) reads Ophelia’s journal, she sees a vision of her aunt wearing a red dress and writing on the wall in blood: “Wednesday must die.”
"Ophelia has been gone a long time," said Millar in a recent interview. "It’s left a hole in Morticia’s life, and a lot of unanswered questions. The re-emergence of Ophelia is going to hit this family like a bomb."
Wednesday also stars Luis Guzmán as Gomez, Isaac Ordonez as Pugsly, and Thing... as Thing.
"Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), returns to prowl the Gothic halls of Nevermore Academy, where fresh foes and woes await. This season, Wednesday must navigate family, friends and old adversaries, propelling her into another year of delightfully dark and kooky mayhem. Armed with her signature razor-sharp wit and deadpan charm, Wednesday is also plunged into a new bone-chilling supernatural mystery," reads the season 2 synopsis.
Burton made his TV directing debut with the show, and also executive produced alongside Jonathan Glickman, Andrew Mittman, Kayla Alpert, Gail Berman, Steve Stark, and Kevin Miserocchi.
“We can’t wait to dive headfirst into another season and explore the kooky, spooky world of Nevermore,” Millar and Gough told Tudum in January 2023. “We just need to make sure Wednesday hasn’t emptied the pool first.”