Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton in BeetlejuiceBeetlejuice. © Warner Bros.
It’s been 36 years since the name was said three times in a row, but it’s time for Beetlejuice to make a comeback! The “bio-exorcist” played by Michael Keaton returns in BeetlejuiceBeetlejuicea new film directed by Tim Burton which is revealed today in a trailer full of references to the first part and a journey into the afterlife.
The dead meet the living
Remember, in 1988, young Lydia Deetz (played by Winona Ryder) moved into a new house and met the ghosts living there. She then found herself involved in a strange story revealing a prankster demon named Beetlejuice who terrorized her family before attempting to marry Lydia by force…
It is this journey that is briefly summarized in the trailer for BeetlejuiceBeetlejuice as Lydia warns her daughter against the danger of invoking Michael Keaton’s facetious persona. The sequel to Tim Burton’s cult horror comedy promises to satisfy fans of the first opus while welcoming with open arms those who do not know its origins.
- Watch the trailer for BeetlejuiceBeetlejuice :
According to its official synopsis, the film sees the Deetz family return to Winter River following a terrible tragedy.
“Still haunted by the memory of Beetlejuice, Lydia sees her life turned upside down when her daughter Astrid, a rebellious teenager, accidentally opens a portal leading to the Afterlife. As chaos hovers over both worlds, it is only a matter of time before someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and this prankster demon comes back to wreak havoc…”
Astrid is played by none other than Tim Burton’s new darling, Jenna Ortega, whom he already directed in the series Wednesday. BeetlejuiceBeetlejuice is also written by the screenwriters of this Netflix series, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.
To put together this feature film, Burton also called on several of his long-time collaborators, such as composer Danny Elfman (Big Fish, The strange Christmas of Mr. Jack) and costume designer Colleen Atwood (Alice in Wonderland, Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd).
The cast includes not only Keaton, Ryder and Ortega, but also Catherine O’Hara (Mom I missed the plane) back in the role of Delia Deetz, as well as several newcomers including Justin Theroux (The Leftovers), Monica Bellucci (Mafia Mamma), Arthur Conti (House of the Dragon) and Willem Dafoe (Poor creatures).
BeetlejuiceBeetlejuice is expected in theaters on September 11. It remains to be seen whether this sequel will be as successful as Beetlejuicewhich had collected nearly $80 million in revenue in 1988.