Michael Keatonmakes his long overdue return asBeetlejuicethis year, and it seems that some of the character’s mystery is about to be undone as the ghost with the most is about to get a new “surprise” backstory. While this fleshes out the afterlife’s bio-exorcist, Keaton recently said that he was left feeling uneasy on first hearing Burton’s idea.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuicewill reunite several cast members from the 1988 movie, including Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara, as well as introduce several new stars to the franchise, such as Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, and Monica Bellucci. This, along withthe return of Keaton as the central characterand Tim Burton once more in the director’s chair, has been enough to get fans fairly excited after the sequel has been teased for many years.
During his appearance onJimmy Kimmel Live!, Keaton was obviously asked about the movie. He offered up a little more detail about how this version of Beetlejuice will be somewhat different from the original iteration. He said:
“The great thing about playing Beetlejuice is, that cliched thing, you never make the statement, ‘Well my character wouldn’t do that.’ He’d do anything, which was so tremendous to play. However, in the second one, which I’m telling you is so good, Tim lays this idea on me. Admittedly, I kind of went, ‘Oh, okay. I don’t know, good luck with that.’ So, there is a kind of backstory, which is kind of a surprise for everyone.”
Can Beetlejuice Recapture Its ‘80s Magic?
Beetlejuice is a movie that arrived at the right time for everyone involved. It delivered special effects ahead of its time, gave Burton the ability to be as wild and outlandish as he wanted to be, and saw Keaton and the rest of the cast delivera one-of-a-kind dark fantasywith comical and horrifying elements in equal measure.
After 36 years,Beetlejuice Beetlejuicehas the license to lean into a certain amount of nostalgia, and will seemingly do so through elements such as a callback to the iconic dining table scene through the inclusion of the Harry Belafonte song “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song).” However, legacy sequels can often rely on that kind of “old-fan” pandering, so there also needs to be something new brought to the story in order to make it more than just a rehash of old ideas.
Jenna Ortega Confirms Who She Is Playing in Beetlejuice 2
Beetlejuice 2 star Jenna Ortega has confirmed the long-running rumors surrounding her character in the horror comedy sequel.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceappears to be doing this, as you would expect from Burton, who very rarely returns to a project for a second time unless he knows he can do something special with it. Through delving more into the world of the afterlife, and the past of its title character, the sequel looks set to expand theBeetlejuiceuniverse beyond the model town grave from whence he first emerged to terrify the Deetz’s. Having promised an “old school” approach,with plenty of practical effectsand the classic Burton touch,Beetlejuice Beetlejuicelooks set to tap back into everything that made the original special, and then some.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceis released in cinemas on June 12, 2025. The originalBeetlejuiceis available to buy or rent from usual VOD outlets.
In the meantime, Michael Keaton has directed a thriller titledKnox Goes Away, which was released March 15th. He stars in it alongside Al Pacino. You can check out the trailer below:
