It’s hard to believe that after three decades, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is finally being released this year. However, talks about a Beetlejuice sequel didn’t start recently. Apparently, its star Winona Ryder and director Tim Burton have had secret meetings for years about bringing this sequel back from the dead without understanding “why it was popular.”
Other than Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder has met up with Tim Burton throughout the years to work on many of his best movies like Edward Scissorhands and Frankenweenie. However, the Stranger Things star revealed to Harper’s Bazaar that she’s had secret meetings with Burton to discuss bringing a Beetlejuice sequel to life for years:
There were a lot of times my agents didn’t know that I was meeting up with him.
Very sneaky of her! Beetlejuice was a true breakthrough role for Winona Ryder. With only the coming-of-age ‘80s movie Lucas under her belt, the former teen star played the "strange and unusual" Lydia Deetz with a supernatural ability to see ghosts. Based on the trailer of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, it looks like Lydia’s gift and gothic style haven’t left her as she reunites with “the ghost with the most.”
According to Harper’s Bazaar, Lydia will be a widower with an estranged relationship with her daughter, Astrid in the sequel. She'll also be the host of her own TV show Ghost House as she makes use of her gift. It looks like Tim Burton’s magic will return once again with sandworms, tiny heads, and more making an appearance as we’re ready to face the nostalgia.
Two years after the release of one of the best horror-comedy films, Beetlejuice 2 had a lot of working names like Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, Beetlejuice and the Haunted Mansion, or Beetlejuice Goes West. With so much talk going on since Beetlejuice’s release, Tim Burton admitted he didn’t understand where the hype of his beloved film was coming from:
Beetlejuice Goes to Outer Space, Beetlejuice does whatever. There’d been talk about it, but I never really understood why it was popular. And this was when people didn’t talk about sequels.
It’s true that nowadays, just like when a television series gets high ratings in its first season, a successful box office hit is likely to get sequel talks. At the time, Tim Burton may not have known he was creating such a cult classic that would spawn a Broadway musical, a cartoon series, and viral Halloween costumes. Even Michael Keaton wasn’t ready for the public reaction to his titular character.
However, I think Beetlejuice became a memorable flick because of its iconic performances, its clever use of blending dark elements with quirky humor, and its original storytelling. I have no doubt its sequel will do the same.
Back when Beetlejuice 2 rumors were circulating, Tim Burton and Winona Ryder apparently had secret meetings about putting a sequel in motion without knowing "why it was popular." With action following all these talks, audiences will finally get to relive the nostalgia and see our favorite unworldly characters back on the big screen again. Add Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to your watchlist as it hits the 2024 movie schedule on September 6th.
