One of the most hyped legacy sequels on deck is Beetlejuice 2, with everyone hoping Michael Keaton, and possibly Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis and Catherine O’Hara will return for another go-around. The film has been percolating since about 1988. Recently it seemed like the movie could become a reality again, especially with Michael Keaton’s star being resurgent thanks to the great roles he’s chosen since Birdman. With him on the verge of reprising Batman in The Flash, perhaps the time is finally right for a Beetlejuice 2? But, were the film to be made at all, would there be any point if original director Tim Burton wasn’t involved?
Indeed, Burton, while speaking at a press conference for the Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon (reported on by Deadline), said he was “working on ideas and things, but it’s all very early days. We’ll set how it goes. How’s that for a non-answer?”
Burton also seemed unwilling to ever return to Disney, citing his experience working on 2019’s Dumbo remake. “It’s gotten to be very homogenized, very consolidated. There’s less room for different types of things.” For anyone hoping he might pull a Sam Raimi and get involved with Marvel, Burton didn’t seem too enthused: “I can only deal with one universe, l can’t deal with a multi-universe.”
Disney or no Disney, Burton’s certainly keeping busy with his Addams Family series, Wednesday, starting on Netflix on November 23rd. Reportedly, he directed four of the eight episodes, with star Jenna Ortega noting recently how different Burton’s style was from the other directors regarding what he wanted for the character.
Burton, so far, hasn’t announced what his next project will be, but he doesn’t seem to be ruling anything out, even recently re-affirming his fondness for frequent star Johnny Depp. It doesn’t seem out of the question that the two may reunite in the future, but hopefully we’ll get a Beetlejuice 2 sooner rather than later.