Beetlejuice 2

Beetlejuice 2 is the highly anticipated return for Michael Keaton as the titular character. Some original cast members will be returning and there will be some new faces as well.

It’s now been 35 years since we’ve seen the black-and-white striped suit, green hair, and demonic clown face of everyone’s favorite house haunter: Beetlejuice. Michael Keaton’s famous character was first introduced way back in 1988 and quickly became part of the zeitgeist thanks to a career performance from the lead, a dark script, excellent direction, and a goth vibe that played a bit differently at the time.

Well, get ready folks, because Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice is coming back. The announcement has been met with excitement that along with Michael Keaton reprising his role as the Ghost with the Most, we will be getting a cast member or two from the original returning as well. So, let’s take a look at everything we know about Beetlejuice 2.

It’s Official: Michael Keaton is Back for Beetlejuice 2

The immediate success of Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, which was released in 1988, can be attributed to the manic performance of Michael Keaton. He brought Beetlejuice to life, making it a character whose shoes could never be filled by anyone else. So, when the official announcement came that Keaton would in fact return, the underworld cheered with glee.

While not the only piece that made Beetlejuice a classic, Keaton’s acting turn here was brilliant, bringing out every bit of the psychotic, though an extremely cerebral version of the character. That Keaton was basically able to embody all the chaos of a demon while also going about his business in a somewhat “normal” way was one of the keys to the movie’s success.

Beetlejuice 2 does not get made without Michael Keaton and finally, we get both of them back.

Winona Ryder is Back as Lydia Deetz

The news surrounding Beetlejuice 2 only gets better. With the return of Michael Keaton already cause for excitement, thoughts then turned to who else, if any from the original haunt, would be joining him. Well, again it is official – Winona Ryder is back as Lydia Deetz. When we last saw Lydia, she was shakin’ it to Harry Belafonte’s “Jump in the Line” after Beetlejuice had been disposed of. At the time, Lydia was a teenager with a penchant for goth, so in this sequel, we catch up with her three decades later. Does she still have an affinity for goth or has she grown out of it? From what we can tell by the recently released set photos, not much has changed with Lydia. Well, there is one big change.

Jenna Ortega is Winona Ryder’s Daughter in Beetlejuice 2

With the exciting news that both Keaton and Ryder will be reprising their roles, also came the news that a newcomer will be on board as well. This one is Jenna Ortega, who was recently seen in the hit Tim Burton series, Wednesday, as well as the horror flick, Scream VI. We know she will be playing Lydia Deetz’s daughter, but other than that not much else is known about her character or how she will become involved with Beetlejuice. One thing for sure is that Ortega definitely has the look to be Lydia Deetz’s daughter.

New Stars Coming to Beetlejuice 2

After the announcement of Keaton, Ryder, and Ortega, it was like the floodgates opened. The first was the announcement that Monica Belluci would be joining the cast as, get this, the wife of Beetlejuice. Apparently after not being able to hook up with Lydia, Beetlejuice went and found himself another woman. This should be interesting.

Joining Belluci will be Justin Theroux. Now, there is no official description of his new character, but given his age and appearance, one might guess that he is on board as the husband to Lydia and the father to Jenna Ortega. We could be off on this, so we will just have to wait and see.

One last big name that has joined the cast is Willem Dafoe. We even have an idea as to who he will be playing. Dafoe joins the cast as an afterlife law enforcement officer, one who we are sure will make things difficult for Beetlejuice in the underworld.

Who Else from the Original is Coming Back?

With Winona Ryder returning to her original role as Lydia Deetz, the question then became who else would be returning to their original roles? Well, we now know that Catherine O’Hara will be back as Delia Deetz. Does this mean that Jeffrey Jones will also be back as Charles Deetz? We are not sure of that as Jones has not appeared in any projects for four years.

Then there is Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, who played Adam and Barbara Maitland, the dead couple who introduced us to Beetlejuice. As far as Davis is concerned, she is more than willing to reprise her role, except for that one sticking point – ghosts don’t age.

Davis was a young 34-year-old when she took on the role of Barbara Maitland and today the actress is 67. It might be a little difficult to pull that one off. “I want to play every character I’ve ever played again,” Davis told PEOPLE, but then she continued on, raising the question many would have. “I have a feeling that ghosts don’t age,” she muses. “How would they explain that they’re older?”

Of course, they could always go the route that films like The Irishman did with Robert De Niro and the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is doing with Harrison Ford and de-age Baldwin and Davis. But Alec Baldwin has been in hot water since he caused the on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, so he may not be in the plans at all.

What About Tim Burton?

If you can’t have a second helping of Beetlejuice without Michael Keaton, you certainly can’t have it without director Tim Burton. Thankfully, with the announcement of Keaton’s return also came the wonderful news that Burton with be sitting in his familiar seat as director, lending his creepy vibe in this highly anticipated film. Not only that, but Burton is bringing back composer Danny Elfman to once again give us those creepy tunes.

The film is being produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B company from a script that many have taken a shot at to include Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.

And Then There is the Persistent Johnny Depp Rumor

Will he or won’t he? Should he or shouldn’t he? The rumor has been going on for a long time (not as long as the sequel rumors). Is Johnny Depp somehow attached to Beetlejuice 2? The prevailing thought here is somehow, someway, Tim Burton is going to sneak him in. They have a long history of working together and Depp has never shied away from playing a role that is outside the realm of norm. Would it be a turn-off if Depp was somehow insinuated into Beetlejuice’s underworld?

Beetlejuice 2 Release Date Is September 6, 2024

Finally, with all the wonderful news about the cast, new and old, and crew, we even have a release date for Beetlejuice 2. Warner Bros. recently came out and claimed September 6, 2024, as the date that fans will see Keaton return as Beetlejuice. As it is on the calendar, Keaton will have to share that date with Mahershala Ali, who will be debuting as Marvel’s Blade. Of course, there is plenty of time for either film to change their date.

Beetlejuice First Came Out In 1988

The character was first introduced back in 1988 and was played by the great Michael Keaton. The actor was already pretty well established in the comedic landscape, but this movie was definitely a departure from the norm even at the time. The titular flick, directed by the great Tim Burton was a dark comedy through and through. Whether Beetlejuice 2 picks up along the same lines, remains to be seen, but there is good reason to think we’d be getting something like a full reset with this one.

That’s because Beetlejuice was a particular play on the haunted house theme, giving us a new window into how these movies could be comedic. Essentially a couple, Adam and Barbara Maitland are killed in a car crash only to find out they are meant to haunt their former home. A new family buys it though is stereotypically impossible with a rich businessman, his joke of a wife, and their goth daughter, Lydia Deetz. 

Lydia is the only one who can see the Maitlands in their ghostly presence. The latter, wanting to run the Deetz’s out of the home call upon Beetlejuice, a demon with a penchant for destruction, to do the job. But it all goes pretty haywire with the Beetlejuice getting a little too into the work and falling in love with Lydia along the way.

It’s a fantastic movie and we are very thankful that after 35 years, we will finally get to see Beetlejuice back in action. How excited are you? Give us your thoughts.

BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE

The stars have aligned, finally. Beetlejuice 2 has begun production and the anticipation is off the charts. How will Michael Keaton do as Beetlejuice this time around? The actor has considerably more miles on his career than when he was the young, manic movie star who became Beetlejuice. For our money, we are all in on this one. We’ve waited long enough, now it is time we say Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.