“Beetlejuice 2” became the victim of an unusual series of thefts. Props were stolen from the set that you can’t just slip away in a bag.
Beetlejuice (Source: TMDB.org)
- Filming of “Beetlejuice 2” has been paused due to the ongoing strikes.
- This made it easy for thieves to rob the set.
- A lamppost and an iconic statue that we already know from the first film were stolen.
The “Beetlejuice 2” set has been the target of unusual thefts in recent weeks. In order to get back the stolen items, no summoning spell helps either, which is why the police are now investigating.
On July 14, 2023, the Vermont State Police received the first report that someone stole a lamppost from the Beetlejuice 2 set. The thieves drove up to the lamppost with a distinctive pumpkin decoration in a pickup truck, loaded it into the car, covered it with a tarpaulin and fled the scene at high speed.
Only three days later the next theft occurred, from an object without which “Beetlejuice” is almost unthinkable. A statue weighing almost 70 kilograms was stolen. Police shared a picture of the artwork on Twitter, writing that they “tried to say the statue’s name three times, but it still didn’t come back.”
Fans of the first 1988 film will recognize the sculpture as the unusually macabre work of Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara). The statue first becomes an issue in “Beetlejuice,” when movers struggle to haul the construct into the house.
She later comes back into focus when Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) brings the artwork to life. There is currently no indication of who stole the props.
It’s not the first time a series or movie set has been robbed. In 2022, thieves stole nearly $200,000 worth of antique props from the set of the Netflix series The Crown.
Filming on “Beetlejuice 2” is currently on hold due to the ongoing strikes by writers and actors. That made it easy for the thieves. Because of the strikes, no scripts are currently being written and no films or series are allowed to be shot in the USA. As a result, many sets are currently referenced and only security personnel are present.
If the negotiations between the unions continue, the theatrical release of the “Beetlejuice” sequel may even be postponed. This is currently scheduled for September 6, 2024, but is on shaky ground.
Michael Keaton (The Flash) and Catherine O’Hara (The Addams Family) reprise their iconic roles as Beetlejuice and Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice 2. Winona Ryder (“Stranger Things”) also returns as Lydia Deetz, this time she even has a daughter of her own, played by Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”).
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