Summary

• Tim Burton has confirmed his return for Wednesday season 2, but the degree of his involvement in the new season is unknown.
• Jenna Ortega revealed that the episodes of Wednesday season 2 will feel like movies.
• Because he's primarily a film director with vast experience in the spooky and supernatural wheelhouse, it would be a missed opportunity if Burton doesn't direct at least one of the cinematic episodes of Wednesday season 2.

After Jenna Ortega's recent update about Wednesday season 2, the stakes of Tim Burton's confirmed return are even higher now. Starring Ortega as the titular lead, Wednesday season 1 followed the deadpan Addams Family character as she used her newfound psychic powers to try to solve a murder mystery at her new boarding school, Nevermore Academy. The Netflix series was a smash hit upon its release in November 2022, drumming up major anticipation for a second season ever since. Though it was delayed by the 2023 Hollywood strikes, Wednesday season 2 is confirmed to be in development.

Though an official release date has yet to be announced, many other Wednesday season 2 updates have been shared, including Burton's confirmed return. Burton played a major role in the inception of Wednesday as a series: in addition to serving as an executive producer, he also directed the first four episodes of Wednesday season 1. Burton has assured that he'll still be involved in Wednesday season 2 in some capacity. Hopefully, Burton's role in the season will still be somewhat prominent, especially because of one particular detail that Ortega recently shared about Wednesday season 2.

Jenna Ortega will also be starring in Beetlejuice 2 as the daughter of Lydia Deetz, Winona Ryder's character from the original movie.

Wednesday Season 2 Episodes Will Feel Like Movies

Wednesday season 2 continuing this TV trend of turning episodes into mini-movies might feel tiresome, it also has the potential to be amazing, depending on just how involved Burton is in the new season.

As of season 2, Jenna Ortega also serves as a producer on Wednesday.

So far, Burton has only confirmed that he'll be involved in Wednesday season 2 "in some [way]" (via BFI). However, because the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were both ongoing at the time that he gave this vague update, Burton wasn't "quite sure" how involved he'd be in Wednesday season 2 yet and was reluctant to speak much more on the topic. As such, it's not yet known what Burton's specific role(s) will be in the production of Wednesday season 2.

Hopefully, Burton will return to the director's chair rather than just overseeing the season as an executive producer this time around. If the new season is going to feel more movie-like, it would be a missed opportunity if Burton doesn't direct at least one of Wednesday season 2's cinematic episodes. Because he's primarily a film director, Burton has the qualified expertise to navigate these longer, elevated episodes of Wednesday season 2.

Why Wednesday Is Such A Perfect Project For Tim Burton

Ultimately, it's a relief that Burton will still be involved in Wednesday at all, since the series is so in his wheelhouse. Burton has proved his mastery of the spooky and supernatural with films like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissorhands, and, of course, Beetlejuice. Along with Wednesday creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, Burton followed his inclination for strange and fantastical outcasts into television with Wednesday.

Wednesday is also perfect for Burton because of how much he personally connects to the project. In fact, the reason Burton wanted to make Wednesday in the first place was because of how much he related to Wednesday's experiences in the script. "It just spoke to me about how I felt in school and how you feel about your parents, how you feel as a person," he noted before the series premiered. Burton clearly holds Wednesday close to his heart, which is all the more reason for him to direct at least one of the movie-style episodes of season 2.

Source: BFI