Michael Keaton Tells Us Which Role He’d Love To Return To After Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, And I Really Need This To Happen

With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice having topped the box office during two weekends amid the 2024 movie schedule, it’s tempting to think about a possible third entry in this horror-comedy franchise. But, as revealed in our roundtable interview with Tim Burton, that isn’t an easy call to make as it is for other, larger sagas. Of course, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara, all have titles they could revisit outside of this world. So, when CinemaBlend spoke to Keaton and co., we asked what projects they'd love to go back to in the future.

All of the options were great. However, Mr. Keaton’s choice is one I’m especially happy to discuss. In fact, I really need this hypothetical follow up to happen; as well as the other options discussed as a result.

I Totally Agree With Michael Keaton’s Desire To Revive Another ‘90s Classic!

I’m not the only person curious about fun Michael Keaton legacy-quel options that would make for killer returns to form. But, when I actually sat down with the Batman legend during the Beetlejuice 2 press day, I was able to ask him what past resume entries were the most enticing prospects for another act. With that question posed, Keaton shared with CinemaBlend the following answer:

When it comes to the best Michael Keaton movies, a deep cut I’m proud to see continually cropping up as of late is the 1996 comedy Multiplicity. With not just one, but four versions of the Academy Award-nominated in the flick, the Harold Ramis-directed comedy might even be considered by some as one of the best ‘90s movies.

I honestly don’t think anyone would argue with that claim too hard, especially when the man himself holds that picture in such high regard. Considering how long actor has wanted to do a Beetlejuice sequel, and the relative quality of the resulting film we see before us, that might even be a good sign to get the gears rolling.

Much like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice returns to the world of the Deetz family, naturally reintroducing its supernatural hellraiser in the process, Multiplicity has a similar potential to that of the recent Tim Burton-directed sequel. I won’t spoil the ending, but the way that the surreal film deals with its clones at the end of the picture did leave a vague door open for another round of madness. There's a natural door waiting to be opened, and all that's really needed at this point is the desire to do so.

Just as it was a lot of fun seeing Michael Keaton returning to the fast and frenzied world of Beetlejuice, seeing him slip back into the roles of Doug, Lance, Rico and Lenny could answer some questions we didn’t know we had in the process. Also, it would honestly be a pleasure to see Multiplicity’s lead once again stretching his comedy muscles through the unique concept of dealing with several versions of himself.

I’m willing to bet some variants have aged better than others, as the various personalities at work had their own quirks to contend with throughout the film adaptation of author Chris Miller’s book. For instance, you can't tell me that you don't want to know how Lenny has progressed, or if he's progressed, in the decades that have passed

This thought exercise is just a piece to a bigger puzzle, though. As we dive further into the rabbit hole of character revivals, the options that Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice co-stars shared are just as intriguing.

Which Characters Would The Rest Of The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Star Like To Revisit?

Using the same line of questioning shown above, I brought this subject up with the rest of the actors on hand for Beetlejuice 2’s press rounds. You may have read my previous report about Winona Ryder’s bittersweet wishes for a Heathers sequel, which was also a result of this legacy-quel discussion.

Of course, a query like this can yield some interesting responses, depending on who you ask. With that in mind, prepare to read more about the rest of the choices made by the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice cast:

• Jenna Ortega: Wednesday. She's very cool, so it's nice to kind of slip right back into that physicality again.
• Catherine O’Hara: Morgan Fairchild from SCTV. No, I don't know. I'm trying to think of somebody I played years ago for a second.
• Justin Theroux: Oh my God, there's so many of them that I want to go back to. As an actor, you know, it's hard to say because you can never visualize the thing unless, for example, I don't think there should be a Mulholland Drive 2, or a Drive 2 or, something like that. But I don't know. I mean, I still find as a writer, you know, things that are in the vein of Tropic Thunder are really funny, that I'd like to sort of revisit. I wouldn't wanna revisit that movie, or make a sequel of it, but there's versions of it that I think could exist elsewhere that I think would be very funny.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice itself proved that when the time is right, and everyone’s willing, the results can be stellar. But, as we’ve seen in the cases of Ms. Ryder and O’Hara’s responses, sometimes the ship has either sailed or your fine with forging ahead into something new. However, it’s Mr. Theroux’s answer that had me especially keen on following up during our time in the room.

I mean, the man is clearly thinking of Tropic Thunder still, and he’s not the only person that’s admitted as much. More specifically, I linked the mention of that 2008 fan-favorite satire to reports of Tom Cruise’s fixation on a Les Grossman spin-off. And, when asked if he’d jump in on the writing duties to finally make it happen, Justin Theroux told CinemaBlend the following:

There you have it, folks! While a lot of genre-leaning fare like Tron and Scream have seen legacy-quels in the works now, perhaps we should spend a little more time rooting for the realm of comedy to get in on the fun as well. Of course, that’s something we’ll all have to pay close attention to in the weeks to come, as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is still in theaters, kicking off the Halloween season at the movies. Still, here's hoping Michael Keaton's idea comes to fruition.

If you want to watch Multiplicity, whether as a returning fan or newcomer, you're in luck! The clone comedy is currently streaming, for free with ads, on PlutoTV, so your chances of enjoyment have just increased!