Michael Keaton will be back as the ghost with the most in Beetlejuice 2, the long-gestating follow-up to Tim Burton's hit film Beetlejuice. It's a movie that has been spoken about for decades at this point, with Burton expressing his desire to make a sequel soon after the original film was released in 1988. Many years and several false starts later, the film has finally been greenlit by Warner Bros. with production on Beetlejuice 2 currently underway.
In a new interview with Empire, Keaton addressed his return as the titular character in Beetlejuice 2. He reflected on the journey that it took to get there, remembering how it's something he spoke about with Burton for many years. Keaton says that the rule that the two had with Beetlejuice 2 is that it would have to be made the same way the original movie had been. That is to say that Keaton wanted to keep the improvisation as well as utilizing handmade props and practical FX for the film's unique visuals and set pieces. As Keaton explains:
"[Burton] and I were talking about it years and years ago, never telling anybody. I said, if it happens, first of all, we’ve both said we’re doing it many times. We both agreed, if it happens, it has to be done as close to the way we made it the first time. Making stuff up, making stuff happen, improvising and riffing, but literally handmade stuff like people creating things with their hands and building something. F--kin’ great. It’s the most fun I’ve had working on a movie in I can’t tell you how long."
Unforgettable Sight Gags Will Return in Beetlejuice 2
It seems like Keaton and Burton got what they wanted, as that's how production is going with Beetlejuice 2. Keaton says that they took that exact same approach, and as a result, he's been having the absolute time of his life on the set. The actor even names an example of something he saw in a scene set in the afterlife waiting room that had him recalling the handmade effects featured in the first movie.
"Beetlejuice is the most f--kin’ fun you can have working. It’s so fun, it’s so great. And you know what it is? We’re doing it exactly like we did the first movie. There’s a woman in the great waiting room for the afterlife literally with a fishing line – I want people to know this because I love it – tugging on the tail of a cat to make it move."
Along with Keaton returning, Beetlejuice 2 will also bring back Winona Ryder to reprise her role as Lydia Deetz. Catherine O'Hara is also set to return as Delia Deetz, while newcomers to the cast include Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, and Monica Bellucci.
Beetlejuice 2 will be released in movie theaters on Sept. 6, 2024. The original Beetlejuice can currently be found streaming on Hulu if you want to revisit the first film.