Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse — saying the name three times is all it takes to unleash this mischievous and seriously creepy freelance bio-exorcist onto the world. The Beetlejuice's lead character, shaped by the combined creative minds of Tim Burton and Michael Keaton, became iconic, and many believe that he deserves a comeback. But will that ever happen, and is it a good idea in the first place?
After the commercial success of debut Pee-wee's Big Adventure, the studios deemed Burton a 'bankable' director and handed him the reigns of Batman, but the project was stalled. In the meantime, Burton decided to channel his signature weirdness and peculiar style into Beetlejuice — a movie that became a smashing, multi-award-winning hit, propelled the careers of Burton and Keaton, and spawned a successful animated series, several video games, and even a Broadway musical.
Beetlejuice's story follows a recently deceased couple, Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam (Alec Baldwin) Maitland, who find themselves haunting their old home. Once a new family (Charles, Delia, and their goth teenage daughter Lydia Deetz) moves in, the Maitlands decide to summon a perverse ghost of Betelgeuse to scare away the new inhabitants. As it happens, they become friends with Lydia (Winona Ryder) and end up dealing with the consequences of unleashing the troublesome bio-exorcist.
The original script of Beetlejuice, written by Michael McDowell, caught Burton's attention but was much darker than the eventual version. In it, Maitlands' deaths were much more explicit, Betelgeuse was less comedic and more grotesque and terrifying, and his intentions towards Lydia were far from traditional matrimony. It was an outright horror movie rather than a hilarious spookfest that fans know it to be today. Burton substituted McDowell with Warren Skaaren — who later joined him as a scribe on the Batman set — and the story received its lighthearted tone and now-iconic elements like the bureaucratic afterlife and ghost-prompted musical numbers.
It's hard to imagine anyone but Keaton in the role of the mischievous ghost, but interestingly enough, he wasn't the first choice — more likely options included Sammy Davis Jr., Dudley Moore, and even Bill Murray. But once he was on board, Keaton truly made the character his own, from shaping his moldy, mismatched-clothed appearance to quirky, somewhat disturbing behavior to even his lines that the actor, reportedly, mostly improvised.
Considering that, despite being the title character, Betelgeuse has only 17 minutes of screentime, Keaton did a remarkable job creating an unforgettable persona and unashamedly stealing the spotlight from other actors. What's more, his exceptional and extravagant performance undoubtedly influenced the decision to cast him as the Dark Knight just a year later.
Is Beetlejuice 2 In The Works?
The potential horror-comedy sequel has been in and out of development for the last three decades. In 1990, Burton hired Jonathan Gems — the future scribe behind Mars Attacks! — to write the second installment titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. The story supposedly followed the Deetz family as they moved to Hawaii to build an upscale resort. Unfortunately, the development disturbed ancient burial grounds, and the Kahuna spirits got annoyed and decided to recruit Betelgeuse to wreak some havoc. The ending reportedly featured Betelgeuse shapeshifting into a nightmarish 'Juicifer,' Lydia summoning a giant tidal wave, and, in some versions, a magical surfing contest. It was confusing at best. While Keaton and Ryder were ready to sign on, Burton's and Keaton's focus shifted to Batman Returns.
The following seven years saw several script rewrites, and then everything went quiet. A glimmer of hope resurfaced in 2011 when Seth Grahame-Smith, who worked with Burton on Dark Shadows and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, was officially brought on board by Warner Bros. The script was finalized, several original actors were ready to reprise their roles, and Burton seemed excited about the prospect. However, whether due to other commitments, schedule conflicts, or the quality of the script, the sequel was put on hold and thrown back into development hell in 2019. Despite the prospects of Beetlejuice 2 looking bleak, many fans believe it can still see the light of day.
Why Beetlejuice 2 Would Still Make Sense Today
When Burton unleashed this quirky, kitschy, and supernaturally-infused horror-comedy onto the unsuspecting audience back in the '80s, he took a big risk… that paid off in full. The movie gained a cult following, with many still enamored by its unique aesthetic, bizarre plot, hilarious performances, and infectious soundtrack. Some fans are wary of disturbing the memory of the beloved classics with either remakes or sequels — and with titles like 2015 Fantastic Four or the latest Indiana Jones, they have all the right to worry.
At the same time, Mad Max: Fury Road or Ghostbusters: Afterlife prove that a reboot or a long-awaited sequel can be done right. The essential condition for Beetlejuice 2's success would be bringing back the original cast. Ryder's part in Stranger Things showed that she's still interested in the world of weird and supernatural, so it would be interesting to see her reprise the role of melancholic Lydia. If the controversy around Baldwin gets resolved, he and Davis could come back as the ghostly Maitlands, giving an insight into their afterlives, given the writers find a way to explain their postmortem aging.
Catherine O'Hara could bring back the obnoxious Delia Deetz and introduce their new, undoubtedly greed-driven venture. But, of course, the sequel wouldn't be the same without Keaton as Betelgeuse himself. With his recent parts as villainous Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming and the upcoming Morbius, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to suggest that the actor might be interested in coming back to the almost comic book-style Beetlejuice as the iconic anti-hero.
It's almost impossible to separate Beetlejuice from funky props, B-movie effects, or the very Burton-esque imagery. Since 1988, the director got a chance to fully embrace and shape his unique style, and the sequel would allow him to put his best work forward. Undoubtedly increased budget could help introduce cutting-edge CGI and VFX, ramping up the scare factor and doing the fantastical world justice.
What's more, Beetlejuice 2 could further expand the movie's lore and explore the quirky world, for instance, explaining the laws of the afterlife. How exactly does limbo work? What happens if one stays or gets lost, Loki-style, in the beyond-the-haunt areas like the moon of Saturn, occupied by the sandworms, and what if one gets eaten by them? Can a deceased person get a job at the bureaucratic afterlife agency or, for that matter, get fired from it like Betelgeuse? The questions (and possibilities) are near-endless.
If done right, the long-awaited and overdue Beetlejuice sequel can be just as outlandish and spectacular as the original. It can allow the fans to reconnect with their beloved characters, discover new stories, and explore the fascinating realm created by the eccentric and brilliant mind of Tim Burton. And while it's unclear whether Beetlejuice 2 will ever happen, many fans still hope to hear their favorite miscreant announce that once again, "It's Showtime!"