Posted in: Netflix, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: addams family, Alfred Gough, Batman, beetlejuice, bleeding cool, cable, Edward Scissorhands, Miles Millar, netflix, streaming, television, the addams family, tim burton, tv, wednesday addams
The Addams Family: Tim Burton, "Smallville" Team Reportedly Eye Series
Looks like Tim Burton (Batman, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands) is looking for a chance to see if he can make The Addams Family just as creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky, and all-together ooky for a modern audience. On Thursday, Deadline Hollywood reported that Burton is looking to executive produce and possibly direct all the episodes of a live-action series take on the popular franchise. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville developers and executive producers) will serve as head writers and showrunners, and will also executive produce alongside Burton. MGM TV financed the series development, which is reportedly set in modern times and will be told from the perspective of Wednesday Addams- with "multiple buyers" in contention and Netflix reportedly leading the list.
Created in 1938 by American cartoonist Charles Addams, the twistedly-loving family have been brought to life in various media formats over the past half-plus-century. Included in that are two live-action series, a film franchise with Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, and Christopher Lloyd; and even a recent animated movie from MGM (with the sequel on its way in 2021). The pairing of the franchise with Burton seems like both a no-brainer and a long time coming. The blend of dark themes and even darker humor with some genuine horror could be exactly the right combination that a modern take on The Addams Family would need. In the current still-raging COVID environment and the question of when/if the theater industry will recover, moving to television/streaming would be a wise move for someone of Burton's skills. As for Millar and Gough, they come to the project with some serious geek cred- kicking off in no small part with the popular and long-running Superman prequel series Smallville. The duo also has the "Shanghai Noon" franchise to add to their resume, as well as Sam Raimi's web-swinging sequel, Spider-Man 2.