Jenna Ortega's Sci-Fi Wednesday Replacement Officially Premieres In 1 Month

Wednesday is a key feature of Jenna Ortega's career, but she's just one month away from showing us an even more impactful role. There's certainly no question that this is a talented actor, and evidence of that goes far beyond Netflix's The Addams Family spinoff series. Still, there's something about the character of Wednesday that Ortega seems perfectly suited for. She manages to be charming and likable, all while maintaining that hauntingly deadpan intelligence. Ortega isn't the first to play Wednesday Addams by any means, but she absolutely set a new standard.

It's difficult to say how much longer Ortega will play Wednesday Addams. Wednesday is headed into its third season, and there's a sense that this installment will mark the end of something. Ortega has revealed that this will be Wednesday's final year at Nevermore Academy, but it's unclear whether that means the show itself has no other direction to go. Regardless, Ortega's continued work on Wednesday hasn't gotten in the way of her broader career. She's managed to take on several meaningful roles, and Klara is set to be among them.

Klara is the central character of Ortega's upcoming film, Klara and the Sun, which hits theaters on October 23, 2026. Directed by Taika Waititi and based on the novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun is a dystopian sci-fi about an outdated companion android named Klara (Ortega), who wants nothing more than to fulfill her purpose and befriend the girl she was purchased for. In addition to Ortega, this film stars Amy Adams, Mia Tharia, Aran Murphy, Natasha Lyonne, and Steve Buscemi, among others.

In more ways than not, Klara is the complete opposite of Wednesday. The Addams daughter is sharply intelligent and coldly calculated, known in recent iterations as deadpan and largely sadistic. Ortega's character in Klara and the Sun, on the other hand, is innocent to the point of cluelessness, beginning with the intelligence of a toddler. Still, what Ortega does with both characters is explore a sort of dissonance with typical human emotions, and that's no easy thing.

Klara & The Sun Is A Thoughtful Continuation For Jenna Ortega's Career

Ortega will likely always be associated with the deadpan Wednesday Addams. The actor has taken on entirely different characters since Wednesday premiered, most of which were far more typically emotionally connected to those around them. Still, that dead-inside demeanor is the idea that audiences tend to jump to when hearing Ortega's name. It's interesting, therefore, that she would take on a project like Klara and the Sun. As previously mentioned, Klara is far more lighthearted, joyful, optimistic, and innocent. Yet, she's just as socially clueless.

By coming on screen and once again playing an emotionally disconnected or socially undeveloped character, Ortega is placing her performance in familiar territory. Klara comes as close as she can to being like Wednesday while remaining, at her core, the complete opposite. Now, there's no longer just Ortega's Wednesday-like roles and those on the more average side of the spectrum. Klara and the Sun fills in the middle ground and demonstrates just how much this talented actor is capable of.It will be a month before we know whether Klara and the Sun reaches its potential. There is more at play here than just Ortega's performance. Regardless, it's reasonable to assume that this film will effectively broaden this actor's horizons after Wednesday. Hopefully, we have a long while yet before Ortega steps away from the deadpan character she helped a new generation fall in love with, but when the time comes, there's no doubt she will be in her element.

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  Wednesday

  

  8/10

  Release Date November 23, 2022

  Network Netflix

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    Wednesday Addams / Goody Addams

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