Tim Burton, legendary director of the 1988s Beetle juicehas just given fans some exciting new news about the upcoming sequel. Beetlejuice 2.
Wednesday Star Jenna Ortega will once again dive into the horror genre by starring in the film Beetle juice sequel, in collaboration with original film star Michael Keaton and director Tim Burton.
Production on the sequel was forced to shut down due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, although those involved are looking forward to getting back to work and finishing the film.
Tim Burton shares Beetlejuice 2 status update
Speaking to the BFI, Beetlejuice 2 Director/producer Tim Burton updated fans on where the sequel is in terms of production completion.
When asked how the film was going, Burton said the crew only had “one and a half days left” production to finish before the strikes begin, noting that filming “98.99% completed:”
“Okay, but we had a day and a half left before the strike. I’m lucky we’ve made it this far. 98, 99% complete. it was a wonderful experience. It reignited my love for filmmaking.”
Burton also talked about how great it was to work with the original film’s stars, including Delia star Catherine O’Hara, sharing that he stayed in touch with that cast more than other films he directed:
“Yes, incredible. It’s so strange because I don’t really keep in touch with people, but it was special because obviously a sequel had been talked about for 35 years. I never really understood the success of the first one. This is one of the beautiful mysteries of life.”
He also explained that he “I didn’t watch the first movie” doing Beetlejuice 2:
“When I made this film, I didn’t watch the first film because I didn’t feel it would help. I just approached it as a project where, 35 years later, the anchor for me is what happened to Lydia, what happened to the Dietz family? What happened to the living people? What happens to people we see at one point in their lives and then see them many years later? What the hell happened to this man?
Burton’s main ideas for the film centered on what happened to the human characters after more than three decades away from the big screen:
“What happened to Katherine? What happened to Charles? That’s what interests me. This is what gives me an anchor. Where are these people 35 years later?
This sequel also did not use true digital effects, as Burton and company focused on “puppets, strings, wire and (and) makeup” to capture the same spirit as the original 1988 film:
“So that cemented the emotions and the feelings and then working with Michael and Winona and Katherine and also Jenna (Ortega) and bringing in these new people, all this wonderful new blood. In the end, we made the same idea – no digital effects, dolls, ropes, wires, makeup, and tried to shoot in the same spirit; with all these actors, they are so good at improvisation. I didn’t realize until recently that we were filming for about the same number of days as the first time.”
In the end, it brought Burton “back to the good old days” continue to work this way Beetlejuice 2 rekindling his relationships with many of the original cast members:
“Working with these people again and seeing them all, it was very emotional for me. Again, just going back to the same old puppets and techniques. It’s back to the good old days.”
When will Beetlejuice 2 be released?
Receive news about what Beetlejuice 2 With just a few days left until production wraps (when cameras start rolling), it’s certainly an exciting prospect, meaning the only thing that needs to be completed after that is more minimal CG and special effects work.
While Deadline reports that the film is currently set to release on September 6, 2024, whether the sequel will release on that date will depend on when the aforementioned strikes end.
There’s a good chance that Warner Bros. is working hard on the post-production of the film. Beetlejuice 2 the film is very close to being completely shot, assuming there isn’t much re-doing involved in re-shoots.
Currently, Beetlejuice 2 debuts in theaters September 6, 2024.