Beetlejuice 2, with Jenna Ortega and Michael Keaton, confirmed for 2024
If a 36-year wait for a sequel to a beloved film worked a charm for Top Gun: Maverick, then Warner Bros. must be hoping to repeat the trick with Beetlejuice 2. The studio has confirmed that the sequel to the 1988 horror comedy is about to go into production and has a Sept. 6, 2024 release date.
As previously reported, original director Tim Burton is back on board, along with stars Michael Keaton as the titular impish demon and Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz — the teenager in the first movie who moved into a haunted house and conspired with ghosts to summon Beetlejuice. Wednesdaystar Jenna Ortega will take on the role of Lydia’s daughter, and indeed the production is as much of a Wednesday reunion as a Beetlejuice one — the script is from Wednesday creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and Burton directed the first half of the show’s first season.
The only other bit of casting that has been revealed is The Leftovers’ Justin Theroux, in an undisclosed role.
The original movie, which inspired an animated series, a stage musical, and a terrible video game, made Burton’s name in Hollywood and impressed Warner Bros. enough that the studio entrusted him with the 1989 Batman. It’s a riot, perhaps Burton’s most successful pairing of his gothic visuals with his sweet tooth for comedy, memorably assisted by an absolutely manic Keaton performance and the infectious calypso tunes of the late, great Harry Belafonte. It’s streaming now on Hulu.
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