Winona Ryder Joins as Noah B. Taylor Departs

Nevermore Academy is getting a major roster change for its highly anticipated third season. A massive Beetlejuice reunion is heading to Netflix, but fans will also have to say goodbye to a familiar face.

Fresh off the news in recent weeks that production is now underway in Ireland and season premiering in mid-2025—which quickly became Netflix’s fifth most-watched English language season of TV ever—the gears are already turning for Season 3. Showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar, alongside executive producer and director Tim Burton, are shaking up the cast with some incredible new additions and one notable departure.

Here is everything you need to know about the latest Wednesday Season 3 casting news, according to trade reports this morning and now Netflix via social media including the official season 3 cast video:

Winona Ryder is Heading to Nevermore Academy

In what might be the most perfectly on-brand casting in Netflix history, Winona Ryder has officially booked a guest-starring role in Wednesday Season 3.

The casting sets up a spectacular reunion for the newly minted Beetlejuice family. Ryder will be reuniting with her on-screen daughter Jenna Ortega, director Tim Burton, and writers Al Gough and Miles Millar.

Exact details of who Ryder will play are being kept securely under wraps, but the creative team is already buzzing about her arrival.

“When it comes to Outcasts, Winona Ryder is the GOAT,” showrunners Gough and Millar shared in a statement. “Her legendary partnership with Tim Burton has defined some of cinema’s most unforgettable characters. We loved collaborating with her on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome her to Nevermore.”

Tim Burton echoed the excitement, adding, “I am so happy that Winona has joined us; she fits right into this world. And she’s a dear friend. I always feel lucky to work with her.” Whether Burton is directing this season remains a mystery.

The guest spot marks a very swift return to Netflix for Ryder. The actress recently wrapped up her long-running tenure as Joyce Byers on Stranger Things, which dropped its massive two-hour series finale this past New Year’s Eve.

Noah B. Taylor (Bruno Yuson) Departs the Series

While we are welcoming a Netflix legend to the cast, fans will also have to bid farewell to a Season 2 alum.  Noah B. Taylor, who played Bruno Yuson, will not be returning for the third season. While details surrounding the character’s departure from the Nevermore universe are currently limited, Taylor’s exit marks a significant shift in the show’s ensemble as the writers make room for new characters and expanding storylines. As you may remember we spoke to the actor ahead of the season 2 premiere.

Who Else is Joining and Returning for Season 3?

Ryder isn’t the only major star packing her bags for Nevermore. As previously announced, Eva Green (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Penny Dreadful) is also joining the Season 3 cast. Green is set to play Ophelia, the sister of Catherine Zeta-Jones’s Morticia Addams. Joanna Lumley, who debuted in season 2, has been upped to series regular. 

The expanding guest roster joins a massive returning core cast. Alongside Jenna Ortega, viewers can expect to see the return of Emma Myers, Hunter Doohan, Joy Sunday, Moosa Mostafa, Georgie Farmer, Isaac Ordonez, Billie Piper, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, Victor Dorobantu, and Evie Templeton. The Addams family adults—Luis Guzmán, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joanna Lumley, and Fred Armisen—are all slated to return as well.