The time to dance to “The Banana Boat Song” again is here. The sequel to Beetlejuice finally has a release date, more than 35 years after the original hit theaters. Beetlejuice 2 will open on Sept. 6, 2024, the same day Marvel Studios has Mahershala Ali’s Blade scheduled.
Tim Burton will return as director, while Michael Keaton will return as the titular pin-stripe-clad bio-exorcist. Winona Ryder will be back as Lydia Deetz. Jenna Ortega, who just worked with Burton on Netflix’s Wednesday, will play Lydia’s daughter. Justin Theroux will play an unknown role, reports Deadline.
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Production of Beetlejuice 2 will start in London on May 10. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who also worked on Wednesday, wrote the script. Brad Pitt’s Plan B is producing the film for Warner Bros. Burton, Tommy Harper, Marc Toberoff, and David Geffen are the producers.
The original Beetlejuice was a box office hit, further cementing Keaton’s star status just before he and Burton made 1989’s Batman. It was written by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren, from a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson. Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin starred as a deceased couple who hire Beetlejuice to scare the Deetz family out of their home. Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O’Hara played Lydia’s parents. The film won the Oscar for Best Makeup.
Since the movie was such a big hit, Warner Bros. has mined the property as a franchise. There was a hit animated series that ran from 1989 to 1991, as well as several video games. Beetlejuice was also turned into a Broadway musical, with Alex Brightman originating the title role. The show opened in April 2019 and closed when the Broadway League suspended performances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The play returned to Broadway in April 2022 and closed in January. A national tour began in December, with tour stops planned through June 2024.
Warner Bros. has been trying to get a Beetlejuice sequel made almost from the moment the original hit theaters. Keaton, Burton, and Ryder have frequently been asked about it, with Ryder even telling Seth Meyers in 2015 that a sequel was in development. This latest attempt finally started earlier this year, when Ortega was cast. Her performances in Wednesday, two Scream movies, and several other horror projects have made her the perfect star for a Beetlejuice sequel. She is also set to star in a second season of Wednesday, which was Netflix’s biggest new hit of 2022.
