The halls of Nevermore Academy are getting a major renovation. As production officially begins on Wednesday Season 3 in Dublin, Ireland, the hit Netflix series is saying goodbye to one of its newer faces while welcoming a slew of legendary actors—including a Stranger Things icon—to the cast. The changes promise to expand the creepy and kooky world of the Addams Family in a big way.
Netflix confirmed on February 23, 2026, that cameras are now rolling on the third season. To celebrate, the streamer released a quirky teaser showing Lurch setting a gothic dinner table, complete with place cards revealing who is coming back and who is new to the party. While the return of Jenna Ortega as the death-obsessed teen was never in doubt, the announcement confirmed both an exciting addition and a quiet departure that reshapes the show’s romantic subplots.
A ‘Stranger Things’ Reunion at Nevermore Academy
The biggest news to come out of the production update is the addition of Winona Ryder to the Wednesday Season 3 cast. Ryder, who just wrapped her iconic run as Joyce Byers on Stranger Things, is reuniting with director Tim Burton for the first time since last year’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice .
Ryder will appear in a guest star role as a character named Tabitha. Details about who Tabitha is remain tightly under wraps, but her arrival marks a full-circle moment for Burton fans. Ryder starred in some of Burton’s most beloved films, including Edward Scissorhands and the original Beetlejuice. This also brings her back together with Ortega, who played her daughter in the recent Beetlejuice sequel .
“I am so happy that Winona has joined us, she fits right into this world,” Burton said in a statement. “And she’s a dear friend. I always feel lucky to work with her” .
Showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar echoed the excitement, calling Ryder the “GOAT” of outcasts. “We loved collaborating with her on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome her to Nevermore,” they said .
Noah B. Taylor Exits After One Season
While Ryder’s arrival is cause for celebration, it comes with the news that another actor is leaving the building. Noah B. Taylor, who joined the cast in Season 2 as Bruno Yuson, will not be returning for the third season .
Bruno was introduced as a love interest for Emma Myers‘ character, Enid Sinclair. He was a fellow werewolf who seemed like a perfect match for Enid, but things went south quickly. Enid discovered that Bruno was still entangled with his ex-girlfriend, leading to a messy breakup. By the end of Season 2, Bruno was last seen packing his bags and leaving Nevermore with his ex, effectively closing the door on his time at the academy .
This departure follows a pattern for the series. Percy Hynes White, who played Wednesday’s potential love interest Xavier Thorpe in the first season, also exited the show after Season 1. With Bruno gone, the show is clearing the decks for new dynamics and, presumably, new romantic tensions for the students of Nevermore.
Joanna Lumley Promoted to Series Regular
The shakeup isn’t all about exits. One beloved actor is moving up the ladder. Joanna Lumley, who played the frosty Grandmama Hester Frump in Season 2, has been promoted to a series regular for the upcoming season .
Grandmama Hester, a wealthy mortuary mogul, has a tense relationship with her daughter Morticia. Her expanded role makes sense given the cliffhanger at the end of Season 2. Viewers last saw her walking to the basement of her mansion where, locked in a cell, was her other daughter—and Morticia’s long-missing sister—Ophelia. With Ophelia now free, Grandmama will likely have a lot more screen time dealing with the family drama she tried to bury.
Eva Green Joins as the Mysterious Aunt Ophelia
Speaking of Ophelia, the missing Addams sister will be a major part of Wednesday Season 3. French actress Eva Green has been cast in the role, and she is set to bring her signature gothic elegance to the family .
Ophelia was briefly teased in the Season 2 finale, locked away in Grandmama’s basement. The showrunners have described Ophelia as a character who is “elegant, haunting, and beautifully unpredictable”—qualities that Green is known for .
“I’m thrilled to join the woefully twisted world of Wednesday as Aunt Ophelia,” Green said. “This show is such a deliciously dark and witty world, I can’t wait to bring my own touch of cuckoo-ness to the Addams family” .
Four New Faces Arrive at Nevermore
To fill out the halls of the academy and the Addams family mansion, four additional actors have joined the cast. The new additions include some familiar names to Tim Burton enthusiasts .
- Chris Sarandon (known for The Princess Bride and Dog Day Afternoon) will play a character named Balthazar. Fans of Addams Family lore might recognize this as Cousin Balthazar, a relative who is supposedly dead. In fact, Gomez and Morticia met at his funeral. His presence in Season 3 suggests the show might be digging deep into the family tree .
- Noah Taylor (Peaky Blinders, Game of Thrones) will portray Cyrus. Taylor previously worked with Burton on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .
- Oscar Morgan (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms) is set to play Atticus.
- Kennedy Moyer (Roofman) will appear as Daisy .
The new characters all have a mysterious “B” monogram above their names on the place cards shown in the teaser, hinting that they might belong to a new faction or family within the show’s expanding universe .
The Core Cast Returns (Mostly)
Despite the exits, the core group of Nevermore students is largely intact. Jenna Ortega leads the charge as Wednesday, joined by Emma Myers as the wolfed-out Enid, Hunter Doohan as Tyler Galpin, and Joy Sunday as Bianca Barclay. Moosa Mostafa (Eugene), Georgie Farmer (Ajax), and Victor Dorobantu (Thing) are also back .
The Addams family unit is strong as well. Catherine Zeta-Jones (Morticia), Luis Guzmán (Gomez), and Isaac Ordonez (Pugsley) are all returning. Fred Armisen will also reprise his role as Uncle Fester .
What Happens to Enid?
One of the biggest questions hanging over Wednesday Season 3 is the fate of Enid Sinclair. The Season 2 finale left Enid trapped in her werewolf form after a massive full moon transformation. She was unable to shift back to human, prompting Wednesday and Uncle Fester to ride off into the night to rescue her .
Myers has hinted that Enid probably doesn’t want to stay a wolf forever. “I’d like to not be stuck as a werewolf forever in Season 3,” she joked to Radio Times . Whether Wednesday can find a cure or if Enid learns to control her new form will likely be a central plotline. In the teaser video, Enid’s place card was shown burning up, which could symbolize her transformation or hint at danger ahead .
What the Showrunners Are Teasing
Creators Gough and Millar promise that Season 3 will dig deeper into the history of the Addams family. In a joint statement, they teased that the new season will “excavate some long-rotting Addams Family secrets” .
The addition of Cousin Balthazar, Aunt Ophelia, and a mysterious new group of characters (indicated by the “B” monograms) suggests the show is moving beyond the walls of Nevermore Academy. With Ryder’s mysterious Tabitha also lurking in the shadows, the third season looks to be the most family-focused—and perhaps the most dangerous—yet.
Wednesday Season 3 is now filming in Ireland. A release date on Netflix has not yet been announced.
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