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Credit: NetflixNetflix has been the reigning king (and queen) of the streaming wars, so it is typically a shock to hear of an actor walking from a lead role of what is expected to be a massive hit series.
Netflix has been dominating the streaming game for quite some time. When Disney+ was introduced, the streaming platform took on Netflix as its number one competitor. We saw Netflix lose Disney titles, and soon enough, Disney+’s growth rate would skyrocket so high that they would be in direct competition with Netflix.
Disney+ had been, for many of us, a saving grace during the pandemic. Having to stay inside more than usual, it was great to be a Disney+ subscriber and watch both new and old content on the new streaming service. Disney+ had given us the ability to watch Broadway musicals with the original cast of Hamilton, and brought us cinematic features like the live-action Mulan right to our homes. The platform is constantly updating itself and adding content and has instantly become a major contender in the streaming service game.
In 2020 we shared an interview with Netflix CEO Reed Hastings who sat down with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin to discuss the “new” streaming platform. When Sorkin asked Hastings how he thought Disney+ was going to do in its first year, Hastings thought “maybe 20,000,000”.
20,000,000 would be amazing. For reference, HBO Max released a streaming service that only has 4,000,000. But how did Disney+ do? The site had gained over 60,000,000 subscribers and counting within one year.
Hastings mentioned that it took Netflix 10-12 years to get to that benchmark. That being said, Netflix has always remained the leader in terms of subscriber size.
In recent years, the once-unquestioned dominance of Netflix in the world of streaming content has been challenged by the likes of HBO Max (now plain Max), Disney+, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. This time last year, it was reported that it had lost nearly a million subscribers, and shareholders were all but revolting against CEO Ted Sarandos.
Now, Netflix is showing astronomically higher numbers, including adding nearly six million new subscribers and increasing its free cash flow from approximately $13 million to a staggering $1.3 billion. This is all thanks to their original content that has blown up over the years, like Stranger Things, Squid Games, Love is Blind, Sex Education, Wednesday, and so much more.
According to What’s on Netflix, Wednesday is the most-watched series of all time with 1,718,800,000 hours watched. This has a completed viewing equivalent of 252,100,000 views. Previously, Stranger Things season 4 held the title.
Wednesday is an American coming-of-age supernatural comedy horror television series based on the character Wednesday Addams by Charles Addams.
Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, it stars Jenna Ortega as the titular character, with Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Hunter Doohan, Percy Hynes White (who is being written out of season 2 following allegations), Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Georgie Farmer, Naomi J. Ogawa, Christina Ricci, and Moosa Mostafa appearing in supporting roles.
Four out of the eight episodes of the first season were directed by Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas), who also serves as executive producer. It revolves around Wednesday Addams, who attempts to solve a murder mystery at her new school.
Burton was previously approached to direct the 1991 film The Addams Family and was involved with a canceled stop-motion animated The Addams Family film. In October 2020, he was reported to be helming a television series, which was later given a series order by Netflix. Ortega was cast in part to represent the character’s Latina heritage. Ricci, who had played the titular character in the 1991 film and its 1993 sequel Addams Family Values, was asked by Burton to join the series in a supporting role. Filming took place in Romania between September 2021 and March 2022.
Wednesday Addams is expelled from her school after dumping live piranhas into the school’s pool in retaliation for the boys’ water polo team bullying her brother Pugsley. Consequently, her parents Gomez and Morticia Addams enroll her at their high school alma mater Nevermore Academy, a private school for monstrous outcasts, in the town of Jericho, Vermont. Wednesday’s cold, emotionless personality and her defiant nature make it difficult for her to connect with her schoolmates and cause her to run afoul of the school’s principal Larissa Weems. However, she discovers she has inherited her mother’s psychic abilities, which allow her to solve a local murder mystery.
The series became so popular, that it shattered Netflix with 341.23 million hours viewed in the first week, not only making Wednesday a hit, but Jenna Ortega a household name.
Netflix has shared that the second season of Wednesday is a top priority for the streaming platform once the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes come to an end. As a matter of fact, the streaming platform has placed Wednesday at the top of the priority list for writers– who have now returned to work– alongside Stranger Things Season 5. With Stranger Things already confirmed to be in its last season, many insiders have speculated that the Tim Burton-led show will be the next flag-bearer for the streaming platform, with reports that they have plans for multiple seasons.
Ortega is also set to star in Beetlejuice 2, also directed by Tim Burton.
As many may remember, the original film focuses on the Maitlands, Adam (Alec Baldwin), and Barbara (Geena Davis), as they try to adjust to their afterlife. This task is made all the more complicated by the Deetzes, Delia (Catherine O’Hara), Charles (Jeffrey Jones), and their daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder), which is where Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) comes in.
The Ghost with the Most wreaked havoc on both families, ironically forcing them to learn to live (or unlive?) together. With the recent trend of releasing sequels to 80s movies (looking at you, Top Gun: Maverick (2022)), many have been wondering, what about Beetlejuice? The wheels have been turning, albeit slowly, and bit by bit, more information has been released to the public that shows that the sequel is, in fact, underway.
Related: Jenna Ortega Reportedly “Excited to Replace Rachel Zegler” in Disney’s ‘Snow White’
The sequel to this film has been in development hell for literal decades, with original talks of it dating all the way back to the early 2000s. However, a flash of a title card appeared in a Warner Bros sizzle reel at CinemaCon, confirming it’s on the horizon. Tim Burton has also stated that he wouldn’t do a sequel without Michael Keaton, so he’s signed on for the project, as well. Catherine O’Hara is also returning.
The script reportedly underwent a rewrite in 2017, so it seems as if it’s always been on the back burner, but fans are thrilled that they’ll be able to see a sequel to the beloved film some day-o. It was also rumored and has since been confirmed that Netflix’s Wednesday star, Jenna Ortega, would join the cast as Lydia’s daughter alongside Winona Ryder, Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, and others we have mentioned.
With Beetlejuice 2 and Wednesday on Ortega’s resume, she will surely become the queen of spook in no time.
That being said, it seems Ortega originally passed on the role of Wednesday.
Related: Jenna Ortega “Banned” From Returning as Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’
When a film is being cast, the casting director will put out a breakdown of all the roles looking to be cast. Then, talent agents and managers can submit their clients in hopes that they can get an audition. On top of this, if casting or production has an actor in mind, they may approach the actor’s agent directly to offer them the role, or specifically ask them to audition.
When Wednesday was brought to Jenna, she passed on the audition.
Reportedly, “As it turns out, “I got the email, passed on it,” she recollected. It was the allure of working with the legendary Tim Burton that drew her back in. Even so, Ortega found herself rejecting the role multiple times, struggling with the crossroads of choosing television over film, a platform she’d grown to covet.”
So, it seems that it was film director Tim Burton that can be thanked for Ortega joining the cast, more so than her affinity for the character or story.
Could you imagine another actor playing the role of Wednesday aside from Jenna Ortega?