Parisa Taghizadeh / Warner Bros.

FILM & TV

First Look at New Beetlejuice Sequel

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is coming later this year, and here is an exciting first look at everything you need to know about the film.
Parisa Taghizadeh / Warner Bros.

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is coming later this year, and here is an exciting first look at everything you need to know about the film.

The original comedy horror film Beetlejuice was released in 1988 and immediately drew in millions of fans, becoming a classic staple in film that people still love today. The sequel returns 36 years after the first film’s release, and fans are in for a long-awaited treat.

The official Instagram account for the new Beetlejuice film became active for the first time in months yesterday when they posted first-look photos of some of the cast members. Fans are begging for the trailer to be released, which will most likely happen soon.

The main cast will be returning to assume their original roles, including Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz.

In addition to the original cast members, they have added new characters, including Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) as Astrid, Lydia’s daughter, Monica Bellucci (The Matrix Reloaded), William Dafoe (Poor Things) as a ghost detective, and Justin Theroux (American Psycho) as a new character named Rory.

All we know so far about the plot is that it will follow Lydia now that she is grown up with a daughter (Ortega). Burton has confirmed that a death in the family sets the story in action, as we can see the characters at a funeral in the first look photo. Fans believe that the death could be caused by Lydia’s father, Charles, as he is the only main character not seen in the pictures.

The original film follows Barbara and Adam Maitland, who passed away in a car accident and are stuck haunting their home. When the Deetz family buys their home, the couple tries to scare them away, but to no avail. They get the help of a mischievous ghost named Beetlejuice, with Lydia being the only person who can see the ghosts. He tries to trick Lydia into marrying him so he can return to the living world, but it ultimately does not work, and the Deetz family ends up living with the Maitlands.

Burton has been sitting on many concepts, some created in the 1980s, but he only felt the need to make another film now. Now that everyone is over thirty years older and has their own lives, there are three generations of Deetz women due to Ortega’s new role as Lydia’s daughter. Burton likes that it gives the story an emotional foundation.

In an interview at this year’s Emmys, Ortega was asked about her time filming the sequel. She recalls that it was one of the best times she had ever had on set and that it was so visually exciting and practical to film without CGI.

The actress will be a phenomenal addition to the cast after seeing how well she performs in this genre from her roles as Wednesday Adams in Emmy-winning Wednesday and as Tara Carpenter in the two most recent Scream films.

Burton will direct and produce the film and will partner with Academy Award-winning actor and producer Brad Pitt , David Katzenberg, and David Geffen to help produce it. Warner Bros. will distribute it.

Fans cannot wait for the film’s release. It is a very fun moment for both longtime and new Beetlejuice fans and is something to look forward to later this year.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will hit theatres on September 6. You can now stream Burton and Ortega’s recent work on the series Wednesday, which is available to stream on Netflix.