Fans of the classic Tim Burton film Beetlejuice know this story. A sequel is in development, and Michael Keaton will return alongside Winona Ryder. It’s been happening for years now, and it seems like another round of production rumblings has begun.
This time though, there’s some serious backing behind this potential sequel. The recent Beetlejuice news was first reported by The Ankler, who broke the story, and multiple trades later picked it up. The Ankler notes that Brad Pitt’s production company Plan B will be behind this sequel in their report. According to the reporting, we could see it shot as soon as this summer.
Original stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder are reprising their roles. Keaton and Ryder starred as Betelgeuse and Lydia Deetz, respectively, and soon became a fan favorite duo. The pairing was also showcased in an animated Beetlejuice series and a hit Broadway musical.
For years, the long-awaited sequel to Beetlejuice has been one of the “developmental hell” stories. Early rumblings happened soon after the film became a success but began when Jonathan Gems was brought in to write the script in 1990 called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Plans for that fell through around 1997, and sequel talk went silent until about 2011. Screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith was brought in to write and produce a sequel, but that was eventually shelved as well.
Warner Bros. has not given the sequel an official green light just yet and by this point, it’s hard to believe it will happen until the film is ready for release and we have actual footage. However, this could be the momentum Beetlejuice 2 needs right now.