ENTERTAINMENT
First images of ‘Beetlejuice 2′ with Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega
Director Tim Burton has expressed his amazement at how easily Keaton reprised title character Betelgeuse, who appears in the first images from the new film.
The hype surrounding “Beetlejuice 2,″ officially named “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” is only just beginning. Tim Burton’s cult classic will return to our screens last this year after 36 years, with original cast members Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder involved one more, alongside current A-listers such as Jenna Ortega and Justin Theroux.
When will ‘Beetlejuice 2′ be released in theatres?
Entertainment Weekly has exclusively published the first images of the sequel to the 1988 hit, one of which shows Keaton disguised as “bio-exorcist” Betelgeuse (pronounced Beetlejuice), the title character.
Filming began in May last year and finished in November, with the movie expected to be released in theaters on 6 September.
Director Tim Burton’s praise for Michael Keaton
Speaking to EW, Burton reveals the sequel begins “with a death in the family” several decades after the original film ended, making it true to life, at least in one sense.
“There’s something that happens that sets things in motion. That’s all I will say,” the director teases, before discussing his surprise, and delight, at the ease with which Keaton slipped back into the role of the demonic Betelgeuse.
Jenna Ortega’s Astrid Deetz provides crucial “emotional hook” for ‘Beetlejuice 2′
“It was kind of scary for somebody who was maybe not that overly interested in doing it. It was such a beautiful thing for me to see all the cast, but he, sort of like demon possession, just went right back into it,” Burton explains.
The pair have maintained a close relationship over the years and have discussed a Beetlejuice sequel on a number of occasions, but they knew it had to “feel right”. “I think we all felt the same way. It only made sense if it had an emotional hook,” which Burton says comes with the introduction of Ortega’s character Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Lydia, played by Ryder.
Catherine O’Hara returns as Deelia Deetz, Lydia’s mother and Astrid’s grandmother, while Arthur Conti, Willem Dafoe and Monica Belluci have been added to the cast, with the latter, whose physical appearance has been kept under wraps, playing Beetlejuice’s as yet unnamed wife.