As the latest Beetlejuice 2 news proves, the entertainment industry would be nothing without constant rumors. Well, maybe not nothing, but it would definitely be a little more boring. As much as moviegoers love when a highly-anticipated film comes out, it seems they love the opportunity to speculate about the possibility of a sequel to a movie from 30+ years ago even more. Hey, the grass is always greener, right?
One such topic favored by classic movie fans is none other than Beetlejuice. The Michael Keaton-led, Tim Burton-directed oddity from 1988 very much feels like something that would inevitably happen if those two were in a room together for too long, and audiences have been eating it up ever since. However, thanks to that popularity, fans have also been clamoring for a sequel to this day, and no, that animated series and numerous Beetlejuice video game appearances don't count. While such a project technically exists and has existed for a little while now at Warner Bros., it's one of those that has felt doomed to perpetual pre-production. Well, all that might be about to change.
Brad Pitt's own production company, Plan B, has now taken over the Beetlejuice 2 project, seemingly breathing new life into the possibility of finally seeing it one of these days. According to Deadline, the sequel is still in pre-production and doesn't even have a script yet. But look on the bright side. That means all the more time for baseless (but no less passionate) speculation while the agonizing wait stretches on.
This early in production, there's pretty much not a drop of other info to slake the thirst of all the parched fans. But Empire reports that both Keaton and Winona Ryder will return to reprise their roles as the titular fashion-impaired spirit and the macabre Lydia Deetz, respectively. This comes with the enticing further assertation that the sequel may even begin filming this year. However, it's worth noting that this news is unconfirmed by anyone involved with the actual project. No word as of yet on whether Burton will return to direct.
Beetlejuice tells the story of a recently deceased couple, played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis. They find themselves tormented in the afterlife by an obnoxious family who moved into their former home, as these things go. Naturally, they seek out the help of Keaton's titular eccentric ghost, hiring him to drive them out, because apparently capitalism plagues even the freshly dead. Numerous attempts have been made over the years to greenlight a sequel, but many factors, including Burton shifting his priorities to work on Batman Returns, have consistently beaten down those efforts.
Here's hoping this time actually sticks. Hard to say whether Pitt's Plan B will have any more success than the rest. But at the very least, the fact that this development is even happening should be good news. The guy who made that sick cameo in Deadpool 2 surely wouldn't let the people down, would he?
Beetlejuice is now available on Amazon Prime Video.