Release Date announced for ‘Beetlejuice 2’
Beetlejuice came out 35 years ago, and after much anticipation and rumor, the sequel is finally in the works. Deadline reports that the release date for the next sequel will be September 6, 2024. This date falls on the weekend following Labor Day, which has proven to be successful for horror films like It and The Nun in previous years.
Not much is known about the next sequel, but production is set to begin tomorrow in London with Jenna Ortega, who previously played Wednesday Addams in her own show, attached to star. Michael Keaton is set to reprise his role as the title character, while director Tim Burton is set to return.
The film’s script is still under wraps when production begins. The protagonists of the first picture, however, are a deceased couple who, with the help of Beetlejuice, evict the new owners of their home. The WGA strike ended not long before the announcement of filming, but it seems the movie will still go forward with production. Since the release date is still over a year away, production progress on the picture will likely be kept under wraps until then, while additional casting announcements are forthcoming.
Top Gun: Maverick and Jurassic World are just two examples of legacy sequels that were hugely successful at the box office, each earning over $1 billion worldwide. Whether or not Beetlejuice 2 will be as successful as the original is anyone’s guess, but there’s no denying that the ’80s movie that launched Michael Keaton’s career and put Tim Burton on the map is a timeless masterpiece. In the wake of the film’s popularity, a number of related media, such as an animated TV spinoff series, a stage musical, and video games, were produced. It’s surprising that it took this long for a sequel to be made, given how popular the first film was. Nonetheless, with a number of A-listers working on it, Beetlejuice 2 has a chance to live up to the reputation of the original.