As amazing as it was to learn that Michael Keaton was reprising Batman in the Flash movie, I am even more amused to know that he is returning to the title role of Beetlejuice (which is actually spelled as the less marketable “Betelgeuse”). Fans of Tim Burton movies – especially his extremely inventive cult horror-comedy movie – have been wondering for years if “the ghost with the most” will ever be granted more screen time than his mere 17 minutes in the 1988 original.
The last several years have made it seem like it might take more than saying his name three times to get Beetlejuice 2 – officially called Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – out of the afterlife’s waiting room. However, we can now confirm that the sequel’s ongoing development hell is over. Let's go over everything we know about it – starting with when it will be haunting theaters.
What Is The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Release Date?
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is one of the most anticipated titles on our upcoming 2024 movie schedule at the moment. According to Deadline, Warner Bros. has set September 6, 2024, as the sequel’s official release date.
The Deadline article goes on to mention how opening films around Labor Day weekend has proved successful for the studio in the past, especially when it comes to horror movies like the It franchise and the current highest grossing movie in the Conjuring Universe timeline, The Nun. More recently, in November 2023, a report by Variety suggested that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is one of many 2024 releases that could be subjected to various release date shifts, so keep your eyes peeled.
The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Cast Includes Returning Cast Members And Exciting Newcomers
In the earlier stages of this sequel’s development, there once was a rumor that Johnny Depp might be taking over the role of Betelgeuse. Well, we can assure you that is not the case, as the original actor to wear the stripes is back, with a few other familiar faces from the original Beetlejuice cast. The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice cast also includes a few new characters joining in on the fun, so let’s take a look who is playing who.
Michael Keaton (Betelgeuse)
A Beetlejuice movie without the differently-spelled title character would be incomplete, which is why it “makes our millennium” to know that, Michael Keaton is reprising the role and told the audience at CinemaCon 2024 that the sequel is "really fucking good." The Academy Award nominee, who also worked with Tim Burton in a couple of live-action Batman movies and most recently on Disney’s live-action remake of Dumbo, could not even tell Empire how long it has been since he had as much fun working on a movie.
Winona Ryder (Lydia Deetz)
Winona Ryder was seen reprising her role as Lydia Deetz in costume in photos shared by The Daily Mail in 2023. The two-time Oscar nominee and Stranger Things star previously confirmed her involvement with the sequel’s development when speaking to Seth Myers on Late Night in 2015.
Catherine O’Hara (Delia Deetz)
Lydia’s eccentric stepmother, Delia, will once again be played by Catherine O’Hara, whom some audiences may also recognize from the Schitt’s Creek cast in her Emmy-winning role of Moira Rose. The Canadian comedian is also set to appear in a darker role on the horror spectrum in the upcoming horror TV show, The Last of Us Season 2.
Jenna Ortega (Astrid Deetz)
Fans and fans-to-be should be excited that Jenna Ortega is leading the sequel as Lydia’s daughter, Astrid -- a detail the actor confirmed when speaking to Vanity Fair in February 2024. The former Disney Channel star is now a top Scream Queen, as part of the latest Scream movies and as the lead of Netflix’s Wednesday cast, which was also her first collaboration with Burton.
Monica Bellucci (Betelgeuse’s Wife)
Apparently, Betelgeuse – who tried to marry Lydia as an evil plan to rejoin the land of the living permanently in the first film – does have a spouse. She is played by Italian model and actor Monica Bellucci, who previously played the bride of another iconic horror character in 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which also starred Winona Ryder.
Justin Theroux (Rory)
At the moment, the only thing we know about Justin Theroux’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice character is that his name is Rory. The actor's experience with the afterlife in a classic episode of The Leftovers and contending with some freaky people in movies like American Psycho and Mulholland Dr. likely ensured he was prepared for whatever the role entails.
Willem Dafoe
Four-time Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe is also in the cast as an afterlife law enforcement officer – a detail that, as he shared with The Guardian, he regrets spoiling previously. At least he managed to keep the character’s name a secret.
Arthur Conti
According to Deadline, Arthur Conti stars in the currently unnamed role of Astrid’s boyfriend. The young actor made his debut alongside HBO’s House of the Dragon cast in one episode of the Game of Thrones prequel series.
You may have noticed that Academy Award winner Geena Davis is not listed as reprising her role as the deceased Barbara Maitland, nor that Alec Baldwin is coming back as her also dead husband, Adam. Well, Davis has a theory that the reason for her exclusion from the sequel is that "ghosts don't age," which she explained to ET before adding, "not that I have."
The Juice Breaks Loose In The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Trailer
The release of the official Beetlejuice Beetlejuice teaser poster – which revealed the official title and hinted that Betelgeuse’ time in the afterlife waiting room is almost finished – was already enough to get fans excited. However, the new sequel's official teaser trailer would have them floating over its clever Easter Eggs, perfect soundtrack, and, of course, the return of Keaton in the title role. See what shakes loose in the clip below:
Set to a choral reimagining of Harry Belafonte's "Day-O" (in reference to an iconic musical moment from the original), the teaser sees Jenna Ortega's Astrid riding her bike past Miss Shannon's School for Girls and through the bridge where Adam and Barbara Maitland died before cutting to what seems to be the funeral for her grandfather, Charles Deetz. We then see her exploring the Maitlands' attic and unveiling Adam's old town model, from which Lydia later witnesses the reemergence of someone she hoped she would never see again: Betlelgeuse. Seeing Keaton in full costume uttering, "The juice is loose," is nothing short of heaven to die-hard fans.
What Is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Rated?
No official MPA rating for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has been announced. The original was PG, but that was in the late ‘80s and its macabre subject matter likely would have earned it a PG-13 rating today. So, we expect the sequel to be branded as such.
Tim Burton Returns To Direct
Beetlejuice was Burton’s second feature-length effort and the first film to best represent his definitive style, convincing us that no one else could or should be overseeing the sequel. Thankfully, the legendary filmmaker is directing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – despite his doubtful remarks over the sequel to USA Today in 2019 – and is also producing along with Brad Pitt, David Geffen (who also produced the first film), and more. Burton’s longtime collaborator, Danny Elfman – who also composed his Batman movies – is scoring the music, much like he also did for the 1988 original.
Ortega and Burton are not the only Wednesday alumni involved with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, as the screenplay has been penned by the smash hit Netflix series’ developers, Al Gough and Miles Millar. The script is based on a story by Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author, Seth Grahame-Smith, who was originally tapped to pen the sequel in 2011. By 2017, Grahame-Smith was replaced by Mike Vukadinovich and, four years later, revealed to Collider how he felt he never managed to perfect the story like he hoped, which led him to walk away from the project.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Wrapped Principal Photography In November 2023
On November 30, 2023, Burton personally announced that he finished shooting Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with an Instagram post, featuring a photo of the filmmaker taking a load off in the afterlife waiting room. While the shoot was on hiatus during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the director told The Independent that the sequel was "99 percent" done before shutting down. The production began in mid-May 2023 in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England and -- according to VT Digger -- exterior shots would be filmed in Corinth, Vermont, which was also used for the Maitlands’ quaint hometown in the original.
In late July, CNN reported that the sequel's set had two props stolen from it. One object was described as a lamp designed to look like a pumpkin and the other was one of Delia Deetz's iconic, creepy sculptures. Whoever went through the trouble to nab that 150-pound art piece must be a mega-fan of the original, which our own Alexandra Ramos is surprised she was allowed to watch as a child.
While I would never steal from a movie set, I would claim to be a Beetlejuice mega-fan, and have been since I was a child. I spent my first Halloween with my now wife dressed as the titular bio-exorcist and Patrice Martinez’s Ms. Argentina, respectively, and had a pretty good time during that. I have seen the movie (probably not very shy of) 167 times and it truly keeps getting funnier every single time I see it.
Now, what do I think? Do I think Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will qualify as a worthy follow-up? I say we should just turn on the juice and see what shakes loose.
