Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anjelica Huston as Morticia Addams
Catherine Zeta-Jones will play the Addams Family matriarch (Picture: Getty Images/Paramount)

Catherine Zeta-Jones is set to step into the shoes of the iconic Addams Family matriarch, portraying Morticia Addams in Tim Burton’s live-action Wednesday Addams series.

The upcoming show, which is set to launch on Netflix, will star Jenna Ortega as the young titular character, known for her deadpan wit and morbid demeanour.

The Stuck in the Middle star will be joined by Catherine as her mother, as well as Boogie Nights actor Luis Guzman as her father, Gomez Addams.

One of the most famous depictions of Morticia was by Anjelica Huston in the 1990s Addams Family films, who embodied the role with oodles of glamour and the signature arch of her eyebrow.

The character was previously played by Carolyn Jones in the 1960s Addams Family TV series, while Charlize Theron recently voiced the gothic matriarch in the 2019 animated Addams Family film.

Several fans expressed their excitement over Catherine taking on the role, having previously won an Academy Award for her astounding performance in Chicago.

Anjelica Huston And Raul Julia In The Addams Family
Anjelica Huston was iconic as Morticia opposite Raul Julia as Gomez (Picture: Orion/Getty Images)

‘Catherine Zeta-Jones will absolutely kill it as Morticia Addams,’ one person tweeted.

‘Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia?!??! YES,’ someone else exclaimed.

Luis Guzman
Luis Guzman will depict the eccentric Gomez Addams (Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Another fan remarked: ‘Okay but CATHERINE ZETA-JONES as Morticia Addams!!!!!! this is actually perfect casting!’

‘Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia is the only piece of news I’ve ever wanted to read in my entire life,’ one Twitter user wrote.

It will be fascinating to see what director Tim does with the Wednesday Addams series, considering his proclivity for the weird and wonderful in films including Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride and Beetlejuice.

Wednesday was first introduced in cartoons published in the New Yorker in the 1930s, although at the time she didn’t have a name.

She and the other members of her family were granted their monikers when the characters returned in the 1960s TV series.

Netflix describes Wednesday as a ‘sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery’, which follows the protagonist’s years as a student at Nevermore Academy.

‘Wednesday’s attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago – all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore,’ the streaming giant outlines.

Wednesday is set to launch on Netflix.

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