Beetlejuice 2: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder Rumored to Reprise Roles

Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder will be back as Beetlejuice and Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice 2, if rumors are to be believed. In 1988, Keaton and Ryder played the characters in Tim Burton's iconic comedy Beetlejuice.

Beetlejuice 2 Reportedly in the Works

Beetlejuice 2 is being developed by Brad Pitt's production business, Plan B Entertainment, according to Jeff Sneider's Hollywood Transom email for The Ankler. According to reports, filming on the project might begin as early as this summer, with Keaton and Ryder reprising their roles from the original.

The 1988 film stars Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as Adam and Barbara Maitland, a married couple who dies and must learn to live as ghosts in their secluded property in Winter River, Connecticut.

When the Deetzes - Charles (Jeffrey Jones), Delia (Catherine O'Hara), and their daughter Lydia (Ryder) - move in against the Maitlands' wishes, they reluctantly hire a loud, boisterous, self-proclaimed "freelance bio-exorcist" who goes by the name Beetlejuice (Keaton) to get rid of the newcomers, and things quickly spiral out of control.

The Tumultuous Road to the Beetlejuice Sequel

The development of the Beetlejuice sequel has been a long and winding journey since 1990. In 1997, the plans for Beetlejuice Goes to Hawaii fell through.

Seth Grahame-Smith, who previously worked with Burton on Dark Shadows, was hired in September 2011 to write and produce the sequel, and he is still associated with it.

Warner Bros. announced in April 2019 that the project has been canceled. Grahame-Smith stated a few months ago that “the reason that it's so hard to get going is because so many people love it and because there are 10 million ways to get that sequel wrong and four ways to get it right."

The highly awaited sequel appears to be coming to fruition, with Keaton and Ryder returning, bringing fans one step closer to seeing the story continue.

Beetlejuice and Lydia Deetz are two of the most well-known characters from the original film. After all, they were the focus of the animated series and the Broadway musical Beetlejuice. Since the film's debut, their chemistry and remarkable conversation have been frequently referenced.

It will be interesting to see who else from the original picture returns, as well as if Danny Elfman returns to compose the score, when work on Beetlejuice 2 gets underway. Only time will tell, but the fact that Keaton and Ryder are supposedly returning for the Beetlejuice sequel is sure to pique moviegoers' interest in returning to the Netherworld.