For decades now, we’ve heard rumors about a sequel to Beetlejuice, Tim Burton’s 1988 hit, which cemented his signature style. The story of a young goth girl (Winona Ryder) who tries to help two ghosts in her haunted home scare her parents away. The ghost they hire is a “Bio-exorcist” named Beetlejuice to do the deed. A cult classic to this day, plans for a sequel have always been rumored. During the ’90s, they even floated “Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian” to Kevin Smith.
But now, some 35 years after the original hit theaters, a sequel to the adventures of the “Bio Exorcist” is finally on the way. Original star Michael Keaton, director Tim Burton, Winona Ryder, and Scream and Wednesday star Jenna Ortega have all signed on for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Speaking of Ryder, she revealed to Slash Film that she had a hard time imagining Lydia Deetz as a grown up, much less a mother and TV personality.
“I think certainly, I never pictured Lydia either having children or in any type of relationship,” Ryder said. “I just always thought she was just probably in her own world as she got older. Just sort of in the attic and happy, but alone.”
But, after meeting Ortega and Justin Theroux, who plays Lydia’s boyfriend Rory, it was easier to find this unexpected version of Lydia. We certainly didn’t think she’d be on TV, either.
Let’s bust out that Handbook for the Recently Deceased; here is everything we know about the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Title
As we hoped, the title for this movie is Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! We love it, because this way, if they ever make it a trilogy, they can call the third one Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! and Michael Keaton will magically appear when summoned, just by saying the title.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Plot
The Beetlejuice sequel will center on the daughter of Lydia Deetz from the first film. And somehow, the previously unknown wife of Beetlejuice will play a part as well. We think it’s safe to say that both ghosts and the afterlife will play a rather large role. The teaser trailer also finally have our first look at Ortega and Keaton in their roles. We get to see Ortega’s character in deeper detail in another Beetlejuice Beetlejuice trailer.
The official synopsis for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sheds more light on the plot, sharing:
Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.
If you’re thinking that there will be more Beetlejuice because his name is in the title twice, think again. In an interview with Variety, Keaton said he didn’t want too much screen time in this sequel. “The idea was, no, no, no, you can’t load it up with Beetlejuice, that’ll kill it,” Keaton said. “I think the Beetlejuice character doesn’t drive the story as much as he did in the first one. He’s more part of the storyline in this one as opposed to the first one, which is a case of, this thing comes in and drives the movie a little bit.”
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Cast
The cast for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is shaping up to have a combination of stars from the original, and other actors Tim Burton has recently worked with. Michael Keaton will return as the titular character, joined by Jenna Ortega, who recently worked with Burton on Wednesday, as the daughter of Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz character from the first film. Winona Ryder is returning as well, as so is Catherine O’Hara as her stepmother. Other original cast members, like Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, are likely not returning.
New to the cast is Willem Dafoe, who is playing a law enforcement officer in the afterlife. Empire Magazine revealed a new look at Willem Dafoe’s character ‘Afterlife Crimes’ cop Wolf Jackson.
Empire shares, “the film sees Dafoe play the brilliantly-named Wolf Jackson – an actor who, given that he was known for playing cop ‘Frank Hardballer’ when he was alive, has taken on a similar role in the afterlife as the head of the Afterlife Crimes Unit. Oh, and he has a segment of skull missing, leaving a bit of his brain exposed. ‘It’s not a normal role,’ admits Dafoe. ‘The most important thing for me was to find the tone. It had to be rooted, but it also had to be free enough that you could play with it.'”
Another new face is Justin Theroux, in an as-yet undisclosed role. Also new to the world of the afterlife is Monica Bellucci, who will play the previously unknown wife of Beetlejuice. This will be the first time working on a Tim Burton project for all three actors.
We love seeing them in this new poster:
Behind the Scenes
Returning behind the camera is original filmmaker Tim Burton. Al Gough and Miles Millar, the creators of the hit Netflix Burton/Ortega collaboration Wednesday, wrote the screenplay for the sequel. Tim Burton’s longtime friend and collaborator Danny Elfman is returning to compose the score. It just wouldn’t feel like Beetlejuice without an Elfman score, would it?
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice‘s Release Date
The long-awaited sequel to the Tim Burton horror/comedy classic Beetlejuice hits theaters on September 5, 2024.
Originally published on May 15, 2023.
