Revisiting the peculiar world ofBeetlejuice35 years later has been an emotional journey, according to directorTim Burton. The anticipated sequel reunites Burton with original film stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara. Burton also got the opportunity to collaborate for the sequel withWednesday’s Jenna Ortega after directing her in a couple of episodes of the Netflix hit series. In a recently published interview withBritish Film Institute, Burton shared:
“Working with these people again, and seeing them all, it was very emotional for me. Again, just going back to the old, same puppets and techniques. It goes back to the good old days.”
Burton called the upcoming sequel, which “had been talked about for 35 years” very special. He acknowledged that he “never quite understood the success of the first one,” calling it one “of life’s beautiful mysteries.” The original 1988 film was both a critical and commercial success, and the titular character went on to appear in animated series, video games and a stage musical.Beetlejuiceshares the story of a recently deceased couple (played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) whose beloved home has been inhabited by the Deetz family– parents Charles (Jeffrey Jones) and Delia (O’Hara), and their goth, ghost-seeing teen daughter, Lydia (Ryder). In an effort to rid their place of the living family, they reach out to Beetlejuice, an unliving “bio-exorcist.”
Related:Tim Burton Says AI Clones of his Work “Takes Something From Your Soul.”
Tim Burton: Beetlejuice 2 “Reinvigorated My Love for Making Movies”
Burton says that when creatingBeetlejuice 2, he was driven by the desire of wanting to know what had transpired in the lives of the original film’s characters:
“When I did this one, I didn’t look at the first movie, because it didn’t feel like it would help. I treated it just very much as a project where, after 35 years, the anchor for me is what happened to Lydia, what happened to the Deetz family? What happened to the living people? What happens to people we see at one stage in their life, then you see them many years later? What the f— happened to that person? What happened to Catherine? What happened to Charles? This is what interests me. This is what gives it an anchor for me. Where are these people after 35 years? So that anchored the emotion and the feeling, then working with Michael and Winona and Catherine, and also with Jenna and having these new people, all this beautiful new blood into it.”
Burton seems as thrilled for Beetlejuice’s return as the fans who have patiently awaited to see Keaton back in Beetlejuice’s black and white suit. He credits the upcoming film, and its talented cast as a source of motivation to continue to make films:
“It was a great experience. It reinvigorated my love of making movies,” Burton says.
Filming forBeetlejuice 2is currently on hiatus due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, but the film,which is near completion, is still slated to premiere on June 20, 2025. During his conversation with British Film Institute, Burton revealed that he would be involved with Wednesday’s second season in some way.
Beginning next month, and through April 2024, a number of Burton’s creations, including sketches, paintings, costumes and puppets, will be on display at the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin forTHE WORLD OF TIM BURTONexhibit.
