Tim Burton says ‘Beetlejuice 2’ is ‘99 percent done’
Good news for fans of the ghost with the most.
According to director Tim Burton, “Beetlejuice 2” production was almost entirely completed when SAG-AFTRA went on strike earlier this summer. As a result, once the actors’ and writers’ strikes are resolved, the “Beetlejuice” sequel will finish with little delay.
“I feel grateful we got what we got. Literally, it was a day and a half,” Burton told The Independent in a new interview. “We know what we have to do. It is 99 percent done.”
A sequel to Burton’s cult hit “Beetlejuice” has been in some form of development for decades. But the project finally got off the ground this year with Warner Bros. and much of the original cast returning, including stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder. The new film also stars Jenna Ortega, Burton’s “Wednesday” star, as the daughter of Ryder’s character from the original.
The director said he has really “enjoyed” making “Beetlejuice 2,” in part, because of his collaborators. “I tried to strip everything and go back to the basics of working with good people and actors and puppets. It was kind of like going back to why I liked making movies,” he said.
“Beetlejuice” was originally released in 1988 and became a favorite among youngsters of the era because of its subversive humor and Keaton’s committed lead performance. A sequel that would’ve sent the title character to Hawaii was broached in 1990 to no avail. In the decades after, numerous writers were involved in the potential film but none got off the ground.
“Beetlejuice 2” is currently set to debut in just under a year, on September 6, 2024. Assuming the dual strikes come to an end at some point in the near future, it’s likely the film’s release date will hold, at least based on Burton’s comments.
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