A couple of years ago news came out that KatzSmith productions, formed by David Katzenberg and author/screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith, were developing a sequel to the 1988 ghost comedy Beetlejuice for Warner Bros. and today, at long last, brings some exciting news. Director Tim Burton is officially in negotiations to return to direct the sequel to the original film, considered his director’s launching pad by many. Not only that but Michael Keaton is expected to return as everyone’s favourite freelance phantasm, Betelgeuse.
The first film followed deceased couple, Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin & Geena Davis) who are desperate to maintain the family house they devoted so much of their precious alive time to. Unfortunately for them, the house is about to receive new tenants so the couple enlists the help of freelance ghost Betelgeuse to help. Obviously, Betelgeuse has a lot more planned than just helping them.
Whilst a Beetlejuice sequel has been on the cards for decades, which planned on taking the scares to Hawaii, the original plan was never meant to be. The current sequel screenplay is under wraps although we do know it has been penned by Grahame-Smith, who also wrote Burton’s Dark Shadows, and Katzenberg.
Burton is also currently attached to direct an adaptation of Peregrine’s Home for Peculiars with Fox, which the director has penciled in to complete first so we shouldn’t expect Beetlejuice 2 for a couple of years or three. In the meantime “Let’s turn on the juice and see what shakes loose.”