It's been in the works at Warner Bros. for years, with whispered rumours and fake fan edits popping up from time to time, but it seems like we're closer than ever to the highly anticipated Beetlejuice 2, as The Hollywood Reporter have revealed that scream queen Jenna Ortega is in talks to join the cast.
Tim Burton's 1988 original was a massive success, grossing nearly $75M worldwide and scoring an Oscar win for Best Makeup. Starring Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton as the eponymous bio-exorcist, the film has maintained its place in pop culture and is generally regarded as a horror-comedy classic.
In 2011, Warner Bros. hired Seth Grahame-Smith (Dark Shadows, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) was on board to write and produce a sequel to Beetlejuice, but the project was shelved in 2019. Last February, it was announced that Brad Pitt's Plan B productions had resurrected the sequel, and now it seems that the wheels are firmly in motion.
If Ortega is to star, it will mark her second collaboration with Burton following 2022's Netflix smash hit Wednesday. In an interview with THR, Ortega expressed how much she enjoyed working with Burton (which of course bodes very well for the potential Beetlejuice 2):
“It’s been quite an insane experience. I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunity to work with an iconic director who just so happens to be one of the sweetest directors I’ve worked with, and also the most detail-oriented.”
THR's sources also state that Burton is expected to direct, and that Michael Keaton is reportedly reprising his role as the ghost with the most. These sources also reveal that, if a budget deal is made, Ortega would play the daughter of Lydia, the character played by Winona Ryder in the original. With X, Scream and the aforementioned Wednesday under her belt, Ortega has firmly cemented herself as one to watch in horror, and we can't wait to see her get even more strange and unusual.
Needless to say, we will be following this hugely exciting news very closely; so keep checking for all the updates as and when we get them!
