Beetlejuice: Is the Sequel Finally Happening?
With the resurgence of old hits thanks to streaming sites, Hollywood has taken to constantly spewing out sequels and remakes galore. Among this stream of hits and misses, there have been some amazing examples of sequels breathing life back into a film series. One need only look at the major blockbuster winners found in Time's list of sequels that surpassed their original movies, like The Dark Knight, Logan, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Thor: Ragnarok.
Yet there are still some classic films that don’t have a sequel and one of them is Beetlejuice.
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice...
Since its critical and commercial success during its initial release, Beetlejuice has become one of those films that has somehow straddled the line of being a cult classic and success story all in one. The film has an Oscar award under its belt for makeup, and it has since gone on to be an enduring pop culture phenomenon referenced in various forms of media to this day. Its impact translated to years’ worth of homages, parodies, and subtle nods that we have come to know.
All of this hype would seemingly attract any studio, but much disappointment came when previous announcements failed to come to fruition. In three decades, there has always been continuous whispering about a sequel finally seeing the light of day. The first one that seemed most possible was "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian" in the '90s, with the cast ready to sign on and the studio vouching for it. However, this died in development hell.
A 2016 rumor even had some meat to it, as original director Tim Burton already announced that he was in talks to direct it and the stars expressed their interest in joining the project should it be completed, but no other follow-ups came up other than the news that the script was undergoing a rewrite in the hands of Mike Vukadinovich.
Beetlejuice!
Source: Wikipedia
With all those promises going nowhere, could audiences be able to summon the famous poltergeist and crew back into the silver screen? Well, if the main star is any indication, the chances are good. Although production for the new film halted in 2019, there has been news that Michael Keaton, the ghost with the most himself, has officially signed on for the sequel in 2021. Tim Burton has also been confirmed to be returning to the helm. Winona Ryder, who has throttled back onto the mainstream in recent years, has also confirmed to Seth Meyers that she will be involved in the new installment.
It seems as good a time as any to bring back this cult favorite. Beetlejuice's presence in pop culture is still ever relevant to this day and can be found across various mediums and industries. A feature on movies and gaming by Gala Spins notes how the cult film has a slot game specifically dedicated to it, showing how the film is able to transcend film and reach new audiences. Even popular TV shows reference it. Stranger Things, a newer sci-fi phenomenon featuring one of the original cast members (Winona Ryder as iconic teen goth Lydia Deetz), has a nod to Beetlejuice in the second episode of Season 3.
On the runway, high fashion designer Marc Jacobs used Lydia Deetz as a reference for his 2016 fall collection. Community took three seasons to provide a pay-off for the longest Beetlejuice referential gag, having him appear on a later season because the script featured his name for the third time. And, yes, there is a Beetlejuice hit musical that ran over 366 performances on Broadway and racked up eight Tony nominations. Yet despite all those references and game adaptions what fans really want is a sequel.
Other cast mates Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, Catherine O'Hara, and Jeffrey Jones have yet to confirm whether or not they will appear in some form for the new sequel. With all that said, there still hasn't been any confirmed release date or updated production information from the studios. We'll have to wait and see if we will get a reappearance anytime soon.