The legendary bio-exorcist makes his creep-tastic return in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Here’s everything we know about the long-awaited sequel to the cult classic!
The ghost with the most is back, baby! The long-awaited sequel to the 1989 cult classic Beetlejuice creeps into theaters this fall, bringing with it the highly anticipated return of legendary (lunatic) bio-exorcist Betelgeuse, and I, for one, am on pins and needles over it. After three decades, Warner Bros. announced in May 2023 that sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is finally on the way, much to the delight of many Tim Burton fans. As we crawl closer and closer to the sequel’s release, here’s everything we know about Beetlejuice 2.
But first, a quick recap of Beetlejuice!
If you’ve yet to lay your eyeballs on the original Beetlejuice (1988), you’re gonna want to hop right on that before the sequel gets here. Director Tim Burton’s horror-comedy hit follows the Maitlands, a recently deceased married couple, as they watch new couple Charles and Delia Deetz (Jeffrey Jones, of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Catherine O’Hara, of Schitt’s Creek), and their teenage daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder, of Stranger Things), move into their beloved home, to which the Maitlands are confined. When their own efforts to scare away the Deetzes fail, the Maitlands hire a crudely boisterous ghost from the Netherworld (i.e., world of the dead) to help them; however, their plan backfires when Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton, of Birdman) hatches his own scheme and attempts to marry Lydia in an effort to wreak havoc in the mortal world.
The film saw massive success and claimed numerous awards, including an Oscar for Best Makeup, several Saturn Awards, two BAFTA Awards, a BMI Film Music Award, a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, and several others. As such, Beetlejuice cemented itself in movie history as, in my opinion, the biggest cult classic that has begged for a sequel for over three decades.
Everything we know about the plot of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
We know Beetlejuice Beetlejuice brings the next generation of Deetzes into the story and follows adult Lydia and her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenny Ortega, of Wednesday), as they run into trouble with the Netherworld and its premiere bio-exorcist.
After an unexpected tragedy strikes, three generations of the Deetz family return to their strangely artistic home in Winter River to bury patriarch Charles. Still haunted by “the trickster demon” who terrorized her and her family, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when Astrid discovers Adam Maitland’s mysterious small-scale model of the town in the attic and defies her mother by summoning Beetlejuice, thus opening the portal to the Afterlife. Now that “the Juice is loose”, the bio-exorcist sets out to unleash the fury.
We also know the sequel will be just as unique in appearance as the original. Don’t expect a lot of CGI; Burton is old school, and that’s what makes him such a creative, stand-alone director. In a 2023 interview with Empire, Keaton gushed about the hands-on approach Burton took with the film:
“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.”
Keaton called the effects “f*cking great” and told Empire, “It’s the most fun I’ve had working on a movie in I can’t tell you how long.”
Who’s in Beetlejuice 2?
Inquiring minds want to know! Many of the leading players from the original film are reprising their titular roles, including Michael Keaton, who played Beetlejuice. Admittedly, while the character himself is quite entertaining, it’s Keaton who brings him to life with the iconic comedic fervor we’ve come to know and love … and can’t wait to see again. Winona Ryder, who portrayed self-proclaimed “strange and unusual” goth teen Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara, who played Lydia’s uber eccentric stepmother, are also returning. I must say, no one could bring these characters to life in the animated ways these actors did.
Newcomers are Jenna Ortega, who plays Lydia’s daughter Astrid, Monica Bellucci (The Matrix Reloaded), who plays Beetlejuice’s wife, Willem Dafoe (Poor Things) as a deceased B-movie action star turned ghost detective, Justin Theroux (Wanderlust), Burn Gorman (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) and Danny DeVito (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia).
Additionally, Tim Burton is returning to helm the sequel.
What is the release date and rating for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice creeps into theaters September 6, 2024, just in time to welcome the fall season (and America’s favorite October holiday, Halloween!).
While the original Beetlejuice shockingly (and likely mistakenly) got away with a PG rating, terrifying youngins everywhere with its foul language, crude humor and horniness, spooky images, and mature themes of death, suicide, and the afterlife, it’s safe to say the sequel will not be. While an official rating has yet to be announced, expect at least a PG-13 rating, if not R.
The Parents Guide on the sequel’s IMDB page lists “sex & nudity, violence & gore, profanity, alcohol, drugs, & smoking, and frightening & intense scenes”, so buckle up … and please, for the love of all that is holy, don’t bring your babies to see it unless you’re prepared to deal with their nightmares. While Beetlejuice is a funny character, Burton’s film will not be catered to the kiddos. Can Beetlejuice really get any cruder or hornier? I guess we’ll see!
Who wrote the Beetlejuice sequel?
While Seth Grahame-Smith (The Lego Batman Movie)is expected to receive story credit on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice due to his writing the earlier unproduced version of the sequel nearly two decades ago, the actual shooting script was penned by Wednesday creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The pair’s track record as TV writers is pretty impressive: They also developed the long-running young Superman series Smallville and AMC’s popular post-apocalyptic martial arts drama Into the Badlands, which, if you haven’t seen it, is quite badass. Unfortunately, when it comes to films, Gough and Millar’s misses, like The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, tend to outnumber their hits, though they did earn story credit on Spider-Man 2.
Are Barbara and Adam going to be in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?
Unfortunately, no, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, who played Barbara and Adam Maitland, will not be returning. In October 2022, Davis told People she “would of course like to revisit” the Beetlejuice world again, but the actors’ more mature looks would be difficult to explain: “I have a feeling that ghosts don’t age,” she said. “How would they explain that they’re older?”
It’s a bummer, but it makes sense. Besides, we’ll have new ghosts to contend with!
What does Brad Pitt have to do with Beetlejuice 2?
Calm yourselves, ladies. Pitt is not part of the cast of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The reason we keep hearing and seeing his name associated with the movie is that he is backing and producing the film through his production company, Plan B Entertainment, which tends to specialize in highly artistic director-driven films these days.
Is Johnny Depp going to be in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?
There’s been a lot of speculation over whether Depp will make an appearance in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice since he and Burton have worked together before on hit titles like Edward Scissorhands (1990), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd (2007), Dark Shadows (2012), and Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) and saw much success. While I, for one, would love to see Burton and Depp team up again, especially for this film, it doesn’t look like they will. A girl can dream, though!
In the meantime, buckle up, buttercups, and get ready for the return of the crudest, horniest, most obnoxiously funny (but also threatening) bio-exorcist to ever haunt the living. But until then, revisit Beetlejuice and familiarize (or reacquaint) yourself with the plot, the characters, the giant ghost-eating sandworm, and the “Handbook for the Recently Deceased”, or as Adam Maitland originally called it, “The Handbook for the Recently Diseased”. Here’s to counting down the days to the release of this long-awaited sequel.
