Netflix has released the first look at Billie Piper as a brand new character in Wednesday‘s second season. The full cast member has been added to the gothic horror comedy from creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, which stars Jenna Ortega.

The 42-year-old actor will be playing Isadora Capri, the “sarcastic” music teacher at Nevermore Academy. Isadora is said to be a “former child prodigy” and “takes a keen interest” in Wednesday Addams’ musical abilities.

Piper will also be working closely with series regular Emma Myers, who plays werewolf student Enid Sinclair. Isadora has been described as “enigmatic and brilliant, but with very little tolerance for mediocrity.”

Netflix revealed the new addition to the show’s cast alongside the first images of Piper as Isadora, a day that also saw huge updates about the future of the record-breaking Wednesday. The original series arrived on Netflix in November 2022 and quickly became a massive global success. The platform said it is Netflix’s largest English-language series ever, having been watched by 252 million households worldwide.

In response, Wednesday was renewed for a second season just a month after its release, with production set to begin in January 2023. The release date has now been confirmed for August of this year.

Premise and Cast Details

Wednesday is based on the beloved The Addams Family characters, with the 22-year-old Jenna Ortega playing Wednesday Addams. As well as Piper, the second season also sees the return of cast members such as Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams and Charlize Theron as her husband, Gomez.

The show itself centers on Wednesday as she starts her first year at Nevermore Academy, an institution for supernatural outcasts. While Wednesday faces challenges both at school and at home, the series also sees her embrace her love of horror, rock and roll, and all things gothic.

Wednesday was a massive success for Netflix, earning both Emmy nominations and a large fan following. The concept of the show was expanded from the original film with plenty of subplots and cameos, even including surprise appearances from series regulars that were sometimes played by different actors.

Wednesday Season 3 Confirmed, Spin-Off Plans Rumored

Wednesday’s second season has now officially been renewed, and a second look has been shared to introduce Billie Piper in her new role. But Wednesday‘s future has received an even bigger update this week, with more great news for fans of the Netflix sensation.

Wednesday has been officially renewed for a third season, and there is even talk of a spin-off series currently in the works. The new information comes from The Hollywood Reporter, who report that co-creator Alfred Gough was discussing the future of the show with other media outlets recently.

Gough was coy about the series’ third season, but was willing to discuss spin-off possibilities, saying: “It’s something we’re noodling; there are other characters we can look at.”

Gough and the show’s other creative team received confirmation from Netflix themselves on social media, with the account sharing: “More Wednesday? WE LIKE IT”. Wednesday‘s co-stars have also been updating fans about the news, with Catherine Zeta-Jones sharing a confirmation in her inimitable way.

In a cute Instagram post, she told fans: “When Wednesday comes, a better day. Wednesday season three. It’s official… we shall return.” Fans of the series flocked to comment to celebrate the new update, with fans commenting things like: “And for many more seasons”; “I can’t wait to see the second season, I’m waiting for it with great curiosity, and the third is already official, fantastic news!”

In other comments, fans were wondering how long they would have to wait, as it seems that the third time could be just as unlucky as the second, at least in terms of quick season drops. Season two will be released more than two years after the original, having been announced in January 2023, and some fans hope that it will be a shorter wait this time around. One fan wrote, “I’ll be gripping the sheets in agony waiting, but please… don’t let us wait three years again.”

As ever with Wednesday, Tim Burton will be returning for the new season as executive producer and director for some episodes. He has also recently been working with Jenna Ortega on the sequel to the 1988 cult comedy Beetlejuice, in which Ortega stars as Lydia, Beetlejuice’s daughter.

Billie Piper will not be the only new cast member joining for season two. Wednesday has also welcomed big names such as Lady Gaga, Steve Buscemi, Joanna Lumley, and Thandie Newton. It’s not just the newest cast members who have been sharing their excitement about working on the series.

Joanna Lumley recently shared her thoughts on what it is like to be a part of Wednesday’s world, saying: “There’s always something thrilling about working for Tim Burton. His whole mind takes him to a different world, and the world that they’ve created here for Wednesday and Nevermore and the family is just intoxicating.”

In other developments, Ortega is moving behind the scenes to have a bigger role in the creative process. After some drama surrounding a podcast interview in which Ortega seemed to contradict herself about her role in the show’s writing process, she has now stepped into the production team as producer.

Ortega had said she felt the need to “put her foot down” and often change lines when the character did not fit with her vision. This led to director Tim Burton clapping back at her critics, while co-creator Alfred Gough later supported Ortega’s new role as a producer, saying it was about time because she was already part of the process.