Beetlejuice’s second act looks set to come to life.
The Beetlejuice 2 release date has been confirmed, and we finally have a trailer to watch to keep us excited ahead of the return of the iconic Tim Burton and Michael Keaton sequel.
Yes, it looks as wacky as you’d hope.
Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara are back as Lydia and Delia Deetz, while Michael Keaton returns as Beetlejuice, complete with his iconic striped suit.
Newcomers to the cast include Jenna Ortega, who portrays Lydia’s daughter Astrid.
While the trailer is brief, it shows Astrid riding a bike along a rural road, before we cut to a funeral scene.
Burton previously teased that the sequel picks up with a death in the family, telling EW: “That’s all I will say. There’s something that happens that sets things in motion.”
Later in the trailer, Beetlejuice is seen rising from a model town in the attic as he proclaims to a shocked Lydia: “The juice is loose.”
First-look images of the sequel – and a synopsis – were previously unveiled, showing the cast dressed in black and attending what appears to be a funeral.
The image also introduces fans to a mysterious character called Rory (Justin Theroux), about whom we know nothing as of yet.
The synopsis states: “After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River.
“Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened.”
And, where there’s a portal to the Afterlife, there’s a mischievous demon waiting to be summoned.
Read on for everything we know about the Beetlejuice 2 release date and its cast of new and returning faces. Skip to the end of the page to watch the trailer!
Beetlejuice 2 release date
Warner Bros has announced that Beetlejuice 2 will be released on the big screen on Friday 6th September 2024.
Production kicked off on Wednesday 10th May 2023.
The sequel has been in the works at Warner Bros for many years, but Brad Pitt’s production company Plan B officially joined the project in February 2022.
Beetlejuice 2 cast
Tim Burton is helming the film, Michael Keaton is set to return as the title character Beetlejuice, and Winona Ryder will be back as Lydia Deetz.
In addition, rumours of Jenna Ortega‘s involvement have now been confirmed, with the Wednesday actor set to play Lydia’s daughter.
This marks Ortega’s second time working with Burton, who was an executive producer on Netflix’s series reboot Wednesday and directed four of its eight episodes.
Speaking exclusively with RadioTimes.com, Ortega said of being directed by Burton in Wednesday: “He put me at ease. He was definitely one of my rocks on that set in terms of when he hires an actor he completely trusts them. He always asked for my opinion and I grew to become very protective of the character because I didn’t want her to be like every other teenage girl.”
She continued: “It’s hard when you have things like boys pursuing her or going to school dances and just being in that environment. It was really wonderful when Tim would call me to his trailer in the morning and say, ‘What lines do you want to take out? What do you want to keep in? What would you like to say instead?’
“He was always interested in what I had to say or would always ask for my approval. I trust him completely. He’s done incredible work so I was bit in awe of that quality. He’s very sweet and very respectful, and it was definitely one of my favourite experiences with a director.”
Ryder previously expressed an interest in reprising her role from the original film. In 2013, she told The Daily Beast that the sequel “sounds like it might be happening”.
“It’s not a remake. It’s 27 years later,” Ryder explained at the time. “And I have to say, I love Lydia so much. She was such a huge part of me. I would be really interested in what she is doing 27 years later.”
She added: “I would never go near [a sequel] if it was not Tim and Michael. Because those guys, I love.”
Burton has also previously hinted that Ryder would be a part of a sequel to his cult classic.
Back in 2016, Burton told Collider: “This is the thing, it’s something that I’m interested in. But the fact of it is I have talked to Michael and I have talked to Winona, I’ve talked to a few people. It’s something that I really would like to do in the right circumstances, but it’s one of those films where it has to be right.
“It’s not a kind of a movie that cries out [for a sequel], it’s not the Beetlejuice trilogy. So it’s something that if the elements are right – because I do love the character and Michael’s amazing as that character, so yeah we’ll see. But there’s nothing concrete yet.”
Meanwhile, Catherine O’Hara will also be back as Delia Deetz, whilst Willem Dafoe and Burn Gorman are joining the cast in still-undisclosed roles.
As detailed above, newcomer Justin Theroux will play a character called Rory, although little is known about his role other than that.
We now know that Geena Davis will not be in Beetlejuice 2. Speaking to ET at the CinemaCon 2024 Big Screen Achievement Awards, the actress revealed she won’t be involved in the sequel and will not be reprising her role as Barbara Maitland.
She said: “I’m not in the remake… Oh, you were expecting that I would be? Yeah, no, you know what? Because my theory is that ghosts don’t age… not that I have.”
It’s unknown if Alec Baldwin will return as Adam Maitland, but given Geena Davis’s absence, we’re assuming he won’t appear in the sequel, either. Time will tell on this front, of course.
Is there a trailer for Beetlejuice 2?
Yes, and it begins with Ortega’s Astrid riding a bike along a rural road, before we’re shown a funeral scene. Watch below:
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