Beetlejuice 2 Getting Original Star Back?
Geena Davis is interested in appearing in Beetlejuice 2.
With Beetlejuice 2 in the early stages of development, Gina Davis says she would love to revisit the delights and terrors of the Netherworld after all these years. The actress starred alongside Alec Baldwin as a deceased married couple in Tim Burton’s 1988 classic. Although rumors of a second installment had been swirling for a long time, it wasn’t until Brad Pitt’s Plan B production company boarded the project that the 66-year-old’s interest was piqued. “I want to play every character I’ve ever played again,” she told People.
But Davis did acknowledge one problem with reprising her role in Beetlejuice 2. Barbara Maitland is a ghost. “I have a feeling that ghosts don’t age,” she told the publication. “How would they explain that she’s older?” Although nothing is impossible in the world of movies, it doesn’t seem like the Academy Award winner will be starring in the sequel.
While ComicBook.com says Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder are expected to reprise their roles as Beetlejuice and Lydia Deetz respectively, Davis has yet to be contacted.
It’s been over three decades since fans were introduced to Beetlejuice. Directed by Tim Burton, the fantasy horror comedy is written by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren. The story begins when a deceased couple Barbara and Adam Maitland, are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home. So the pair summons a malicious spirit from the Netherworld to scare them away. Since the ghoul is a timeless character, he doesn’t need really the original cast to craft a new story for Beetlejuice 2.
Beetlejuice was a critical and commercial success, grossing $74.2 million from a budget of $15 million. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and three Saturn Awards for Best Horror Film, Best Makeup, and Best Supporting Actress for Sylvia Sidney. The film also spawned an animated television series, video games, and a 2018 stage musical. From becoming a cult classic, to claiming one of the best musical moments in movie history, the horror-comedy has always left fans wanting Beetlejuice 2.
Michael Keaton played the title role in the original, with Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, and more rounding out the cast. Over the years, Beetlejuice 2 has had a difficult time getting off the ground with plans for 1997’s Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian falling through. After a brief revival in 2011, Warner Bros said the project had been shelved in 2019.
Then in 2021, Seth Grahame-Smith, who previously worked with Burton on Dark Shadows, told Collider that it’s hard to get Beetlejuice 2 off the ground because so many people love it and there are 10 million ways to get it wrong and only four ways to get it right. Now, the new sequel remains in early development, with the script yet to be written. No other creative attachments have been disclosed at this time, Deadline reports.
As production on Beetlejuice 2 starts to progress, it will be interesting to see how many other original cast members will be returning, or if Danny Elfman composes the score. Only time will tell.
