Director Tim Burton has addressed the current status of the rumored Beetlejuice 2 sequel, saying he doubts the movie will ever see the light of day. Recently, Burton took part in an interview with USA Today to promote his newest movie Dumbo, which reunites the filmmaker with Beetlejuice star Michael Keaton. When asked directly about the state of Beetlejuice 2, Burton seemed less than enthusiastic that the project would actually happen. “I don’t know. I doubt it,” Burton said about the possible sequel, waving off any further questions. A statement from Warner Bros. confirms the news, with spokeswoman Candice McDonough officially stating that the movie “isn’t in active development.”
It was reasonable to ask Tim Burton about a new Beetlejuice movie, as rumors of its development have accelerated in recent years. Michael Keaton had expressed his interest in reprising the role on multiple occasions, so as long as Burton returned to direct. Keaton’s co-star Winona Ryder also had the desire to return to the Beetlejuice universe as Lydia Deetz if the opportunity arose. During a guest appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2015, Ryder had outright said she was going to reprise the role in an official sequel. Burton later said he was on board to do the movie “under the right circumstances,” but clearly no progress has been made since then.
Discussions of a Beetlejuice sequel date back 30 years, following soon after the movie’s release. At the time, Burton’s idea was to put a tropical twist to the story with a sequel called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton and Keaton were then distracted by the development of Batman Returns, putting the Hawaiian sequel on the backburner. In 2011, rumors of another Beetlejuice movie started up once again when it was reported Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter writer Seth Grahame-Smith was penning the screenplay for a sequel. For whatever reason, however, the project just couldn’t seem to emerge from development hell, and now it looks like Beetlejuice 2 is dead in the water.
Related: Michael Keaton Doubts Beetlejuice 2 Will Happen
It may not have gotten a sequel, but the classic Tim Burton movie did inspire a successful animated series. Executive produced by Burton, the Beetlejuice cartoon ran for four seasons, airing on ABC and Fox. There is also a new Broadway show based on the movie, which will have its official opening night later this month. Additionally, there is an extensive documentary about the movie’s production that is currently in the works. With or without a sequel, the original movie still seems to be just as popular as it ever was.
The idea of a Beetlejuice sequel is bound to leave fans of the movie divided. As awesome as it would be to see Keaton and Ryder back in an all new Beetlejuice movie, some would argue that it’s better to leave the original be. The movie definitely captured lightning in a bottle, and it would be extremely difficult to do that twice. This information comes to us from USA Today.
