There were a lot of left field sequels and remakes announced this year, but the strangest one of all – besides the recently announced follow-up to It’s a Wonderful Life – is the not-quite set in stone Beetlejuice 2, with a reteaming of director Tim Burton and the host with the most Michael Keaton. But Beetlejuice just wouldn’t be the same if he didn’t have the eternally goth Lydia around to poke fun at, so it’s pretty exciting that there is an extremely good chance Winona Ryder will also be coming back to reprise her role.
As is the case with anything Beetlejuice 2-related, there isn’t anything official, but Ryder has hinted to The Daily Beast that there are serious talks going on behind the scenes. "I’m kind of sworn to secrecy," she told them. "But it sounds like it might be happening."
While Ryder may have been skeptical about coming back to that universe before, she was won over by the script from author Seth Grahame-Smith, who wrote Burton’s Dark Shadows. "It’s not a remake," she said. "It’s 27 years later. And I have to say, I love Lydia so much. She was such a huge part of me. I would really be interested in what she is doing 27 years later." She gives the role credit for giving her a career, so I think we can definitely expect some Lydia Deetz in our futures, probably wearing a black overcoat and loads more makeup.
But don’t expect her to go on if she’s the only familiar face involved. "I would never go near [a sequel] if it was not Tim and Michael," she said. "Because those guys, I love." Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure millions of other people wouldn’t go near it either. I shudder to think about anyone else taking over the Beetlejuice role, like Robert Pattinson or Channing Tatum or someone more bankable to studios than Keaton. Ugh.
Ryder’s upcoming slate of films only includes the James Franco vs. Jason Statham actioner Homefront and the David Hare’s sequel to his Page Eight TV movie, titled Turks & Caicos. So I think we can safely assume she’ll be up for it whenever production is supposed to take place.
What do you guys think about it? Would you rather see Beetlejuice in an entirely different place in his (after)life, or are you fine with he and Lydia still catching up after all these years? Relive their magical meeting below and let us know what you're thinking in the comments.
