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- Fans have wanted a Beetlejuice Sequel since the original debuted in 1998
- There have been talks about a sequel in the works for the past decades, with some of the original actors confirming it.
- In early 2022, it was confirmed that a Beetlejuice sequel is happening, with returning stars such as Betelgeuse itself
- There is still a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the plot and production timeline
It’s (almost) showtime! Over 30 years later Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice came out, a sequel film has finally been confirmed. There have been talks of a second movie happening for the past three decades, so fans are overjoyed about the news. For those who haven’t seen it, Beetlejuice follows deceased couple Adam and Barbara Maitland, played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, who try to scare away a family now living in their house. They make contact with an over-the-top bio-exorcist named Betelgeuse played by Michael Keatonbut his antics only complicate matters.
Beetlejuice 2 was officially confirmed in February 2022, per Deadlinewith Brad Pitt‘s Plan B Entertainment producing alongside Warner Bros, and at least two major stars returning. From the release date, to the cast and crew, HollywoodLife has rounded up everything to know about the highly-anticipated sequel.
‘Beetlejuice 2’ Cast & Crew
The original Beetlejuice also stars Catherine O’Hara and Jeffrey Jones as Delia and Charles Deetz, who move into Maitland’s old house and become terrorized by Betelgeuse. Winona Ryder plays their goth teenage daughter who becomes friends with the friendly Maitland ghosts, Lydia Deetz. So far, Michael and Winona are the two cast members set to return for Beetlejuice 2according to Screen Rant. The film wouldn’t be possible without Betelgeuse himself, so thank goodness Michael’s coming back! Winona, who currently stars in Netflix’s Stranger Thingshad previously expressed interest in starring in a Beetlejuice sequel. “I love Lydia Deetz so much. She was such a huge part of me,” Winona told The Daily Beast in 2013. “I would be really interested in what she is doing 27 years later.”
The other cast members’ returns have yet to be announced. Alec’s return may be questionable due to the controversy from the Rust shooting incident. Tim is expected to be directing the sequel, although that has yet to be confirmed. The famous filmmaker has been asked about having Johnny Depp star in Beetlejuice 2and didn’t deny anything when he spoke to MTV about the possibility in 2012. Its clear Tim and Johnny enjoy working together and have already brought incredible films to the screen, such as Edward ScissorhandsSleepy Hallow, Charlie & The Chocolate Factoryand Sweeney Todd. However, Johnny’s possible role may be in jeopardy because of his defamation trial against Amber Heardwhich has impacted his career.
While Tim is not confirmed to be directing, he has confirmed his interest in the past. In 2015, he said Collider he would sign on to direct a sequel if it made sense. “This is the thing, it’s something that I’m interested in, but there’s so many stories [online]dumping Michael Keaton for Johnny Depp and this or that, and I’ve talked to these people and they didn’t want to hear this so they just made up a story,” he pressed.
“But the fact of it is I have talked to Michael and I have talked to Winona, I’ve talked to a few people,” he continued. “It’s something that I really would like to do in the right circumstances, but it’s one of those films where it has to be right. It’s not a kind of a movie that cries out [for a sequel]it’s not the Beetlejuice trilogy. So it’s something that if the elements are right — because I do love the character and Michael’s amazing as that character, so yeah we’ll see. But there’s nothing concrete yet.” That’s certainly promising!
Michael shared a similar sentiment when he spoke about the potential sequel in 2016. “It’s possible that ship has sailed,” he told Variety. “The only way to do it is to do it right. So much of it was improvised, and so much was beautifully handmade by the artist that is Tim Burton. If you can’t get close to that, you leave it alone.”
Furthermore, Geena Davis revealed that she “would of course like to revisit” Beetlejuice in an Oct. 2022 chat with PEOPLE, but also said she has no information about the sequel and has not yet been contacted about it. “I want to play every character I’ve ever played again,” she added.
As mentioned before, Plan B Entertainment and Warner Bros. will produce Beetlejuice 2.
The Link to the Original ‘Beetlejuice’
Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren wrote the screenplay for the original Beetlejuice, while Tim directed. The movie was a huge hit after its 1998 release and even won the Academy Award for Best Makeup in 1999. Its success spawned numerous offshoots, starting with an animated TV series of the same name that ran on ABC, and then Fox, from 1989 to 1991. Tim produced the project. Then, several Beetlejuice video games were released, starting in 1990. The popular film was also adapted into a Broadway stage musical that opened in April 2019. The show closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but reopened at the Marquis Theater in April 2022.
No plot details have been revealed for Beetlejuice 2. It would make sense for the sequel to take place many years after the events of the first film. Spoiler alert: Beetlejuice ended with the Deetzes and Maitlands living in the home harmoniously, while Betelgeuse ends up in the afterlife waiting room and gets his head shrunk by a witch doctor.
Production Trivia
It’s been a long road to Beetlejuice 2. Plans for the sequel began in 1990, when Tim hired Jonathan Gems to write a second movie called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, per Screen Rant. It would’ve focused on the Deetzes moving to Hawaii, where they are haunted by a spirit. Michael and Winona agreed to the sequel, however, Tim became distracted with directing Batman Returnswhich starred Michael as the iconic caped-crusader. Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian was eventually shelved entirely by 1997.
Plans for a different sequel started up in 2011. Warner Bros. hired Seth Grahame-Smithwho worked with Tim on Dark Shadows and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, to write and produce the project. Winona even gushed about the sequel in a 2013 interview with The Daily Beast. “I’m kind of sworn to secrecy but it sounds like it might be happening. It’s 27 years later,” she confirmed. “And I have to say, I love Lydia Deetz so much. She was such a huge part of me. I would be really interested in what she is doing 27 years later.” However, that sequel, too, was canceled.
In 2021, Seth himself spoke about the canceled sequel. “It’s funny, when I had met with Tim about it last, and we’re talking about five years ago at this point, the reason that it’s so hard to get going is because so many people love it and because there are 10 million ways to get that sequel wrong and four ways to get it right,” he explained Collider in Oct. 2021. “It’s such a very fine needle to thread that I certainly like didn’t get it there, on the script side. I didn’t thread the needle. There are things that were cool and some interesting ideas. I’ve certainly emotionally moved on from it and just said, ‘If it happens someday, it happens.’”
Hopefully, the latest plans for Beetlejuice 2 actually come to fruition. Principal photography was reportedly set to begin over the summer of 2022, but there has been no word on that since. Deadline reported the news months ago. There is also no set release date, although it’s rumored to be in 2025. That means we probably have a long way to go until the sequel film actually hits theaters, but that’s not slowing down our excitement. Beetlejuice 2we’re ready for you!
