Tim Burton recently said his “Beetlejuice 2” was 99 percent complete when filming was interrupted by the strike. Here is everything we know about the film starring Michaël Keaton, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega and Monica Bellucci.
35 years after his horror comedy Beetlejuice, Tim Burton reunites with his striped-suited bio-exorcist for a new adventure.
In planning for many years, Beetlejuice 2 was in the middle of filming when the actors went on strike on July 13. According to the director, the film, whose set was visited by looters just 10 days after the cameras stopped, was 99% finished. Tim Burton indeed declared to the magazine The Independent that there was still a day and a half of shooting left when filming was interrupted.
“I’m grateful for what we were able to do. We literally had a day and a half left of filming. We know what we have to do. The film is 99 percent complete.” He adds : ” I really enjoyed making Beetlejuice 2. I tried to strip everything away and get back to basics, which was working with quality people, actors and puppets. It was like finding the reason why I like making films.”
Like the first, there will be no excessive special effects in Beetlejuice 2. The filmmaker went back to basics and preferred to use puppets rather than add digital effects in post-production.
Michael Keaton delighted to reprise role of Beetlejuice
For the sequel to his film, the renowned director surrounded himself with new actors and also brought back the actors from the film released in 1988, notably the hero played by Michael Keaton.
Warner Bros. Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice
After donning the Batman costume for The Flash, Michael Keaton finds another cult outfit from his filmography, that of the freelance bio-exorcist Beetlejuice. The latter also confided last June to the magazine Empire that he and Tim Burton had been talking about a sequel for many years.
“We already knew that if the movie was made we would both be back. And we agreed that the sequel should be as close to the first movie as possible. Inventing things, making things happen, improvise…
But above all, do all this for real, I mean literally, by hand, building things and playing in front of something. It’s really awesome. It’s filming that has given me the most pleasure for many, many years.”
Warner Bros.
He adds : “Beetlejuice is the most fun movie I’ve ever been a part of. It’s fun and awesome. And you know what ? We did it ! We’re doing exactly what we did in the first film! For example, in the waiting room of the afterlife there is a woman who moves a cat’s tail with a fishing line. These are not digital visual effects. And I want people to know that because I love it!”
Beetlejuice 2: Jenna Ortega and Monica Bellucci facing Winona Ryder
The film will allow us to discover what happened to the heroes of the first part three decades ago. We thus discover that Beetlejuice is married… and not to just anyone since it is the Italian actress Monica Bellucci who plays the role of Mrs. “Beetle Juice”.
The actress met Tim Burton during the Lumière Festival which was held in Lyon in October 2022. The 64-year-old filmmaker then received the Lumière prize to reward his entire career from the hands of Monica Bellucci. The actress and the director have been a couple ever since. It was therefore very natural that the director offered him a role.
Warner Bros.
Winona Ryder
Jenna Ortega, who plays Wednesday Addams in the eponymous Netflix series, directed by Tim Burton, has also joined the cast. The young woman here plays the daughter of Winona Ryder, the heroine of the first part, who takes over the role of Lydia. Also returning is Catherine O’Hara, who plays Delia, Lydia’s mother.
Willem Dafoe and Justin Theroux also appear in the cast in roles still kept secret.
Jenna Ortega married in Beetlejuice 2?
We still don’t know exactly what the feature film will be about, but the first set photos of Jenna Ortega showed the actress wearing a wedding dress. It will therefore be a question of marriage.
As a reminder, Beetlejuice told the story of a recently deceased couple, Adam and Barbara (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis), who haunt their ancient home soon invaded by a rich and noisy New York family (Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Jones and Winona Ryder) wishing to renovate the premises.
Adam and Barbara, scandalized, decide to evict the intruders. But their classic ghost tricks and other spells have no effect. That’s when they call on an odious and sneaky freelance “bio-exorcist”, a certain Beetlejuice.
When will Beetlejuice 2 be released?
To date, the feature film is announced in our cinemas in one year, on September 11, 2024. The delay due to the strike could force Warner Bros to postpone the release but given that there are very few films left scenes to be shot, it is entirely possible that Beetlejuice 2 will not be impacted.
Especially since if the film is 99% shot, nothing prevents Tim Burton from starting editing with his team. On the other hand, the studio, which had to postpone several films due to the strike, could well postpone Beetlejuice 2 in order to spread out its releases. A postponement which could ultimately be beneficial if it were to be released in October 2024. Right on time for Halloween.