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 has returned 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 just saying his name three times to get Beetlejuice 2 – officially called Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – out of the afterlife’s waiting room. However, we now know for sure 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. Warner Bros. has set September 6, 2024, as the sequel’s official release date.
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 reprises her role as Lydia Deetz, who is now raising a teenage daughter when she comes face-to-face with a literal ghost from her past. 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. 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 (Delores)
Apparently, Betelgeuse – who tried to marry Lydia as a plan to rejoin the land of the living in the first film – does have a spouse named Delores. 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 (Wolf Jackson)
Four-time Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe is also in the cast as Wolf Jackson – an afterlife law enforcement officer. The actor revealed to The Guardian that he regretted spoiling that detail about his role to the press, but at least he managed to keep the character’s name a secret until his poster came out.
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 reprising her role as the deceased Barbara Maitland, nor is Alec Baldwin 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 first teaser trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice had fans floating over its clever Easter Eggs, choral reimagining of Harry Belafonte's "Day-O," and seeing Michael Keaton in full costume uttering, “The Juice is loose.” Well, is there plenty more where that came from in the sequel’s first full-length trailer, which you can see for yourself below:
Once again, this second Beetlejuice Beetlejuice promo clip opens with a reference to an iconic musical moment from the original (“Day-O”) before showing a glimpse of one of Delia Deetz’s famous sculptures and returning us to the Maitlands’ attic, where Astrid finds a flyer for Betelgeuse’s services. The trailer also brings us back to the afterlife waiting room and sees Astrid and Lydia trying to outrun a pesky sandworm. For every answer the clip provides, however, it raises even more questions, such as what the film is actually going to be about.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Sees The Bio-Exorcist Return For More Mischief
What we can gather from the full-length trailer is that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice takes place after the death of Jeffrey Jones’ Charles Deetz, which appears to have a disheartening effect on his young granddaughter, Astrid. It is she who actually says Betelgeuse’s name thrice after not listening to her mother, Lydia’s, warning about the “trickster demon.”
What Keaton’s kooky creep is up to this time is not exactly clear, but, for some reason, he appears to be on the wanted list of a few different people – namely afterlife cop Wolf Jackson and his spouse (or former spouse), Delores. We are also still not sure who Rory is, but might infer that he is Lydia’s husband, based on a bit in the trailer that, seemingly, sees Betelgeuse take on the role of a couple’s therapist.
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 directs 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 is 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.
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.
