‘Beetlejuice 2’ Update: Tim Burton Says “Nothing Is Concrete Yet”
We’ve been hearing bits and pieces of news regardingBeetlejuice 2for a few years now. Back in 2012, directorTim Burtonwas waiting to see howSeth Grahame-Smith(Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) andDavid Katzenberg’s script turned out,sayinghe’d keep an “open mind” about directing the sequel. The director’s interest in the project has significantly risen over the years, but he still has some understandable reservations about making the film.
Below, Tim Burton provides aBeetlejuice 2update.
A year ago, Grahame-Smith (who recentlydropped outof directingThe Flash) washopefulthat Burton would start shooting the sequel onceMiss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Childrenwas completed. The director probably still has plenty of more work to do on that film, but considering it’s getting released this September, Burton’s schedule should open up soon.
Does he plan on makingBeetlejuice 2after he’s finished his adaptation ofRansom Riggs' novel? While speaking withCollider, Burton told the outlet he’s still interested in the project, but added that “there’s nothing concrete yet”:
This is the thing, it’s something that I’m interested in, but there are so many stories [online], dumping Michael Keaton forJohnny Deppand this or that, and I’ve talked to these people and they didn’t wanna hear this, so they just made up a story. But the fact of it is I have talked to Michael and I have talked to Winona [Ryder], I’ve talked to a few people. It’s something that I really would like to do in the right circumstances, but it’s one of those films where it has to be right. It’s not a kind of a movie that cries out [for a sequel], it’s not the Beetlejuice trilogy. So it’s something that if the elements are right—because I do love the character and Michael’s amazing as that character, so yeah we’ll see. But there’s nothing concrete yet.
There’s no reason for Burton to rush to the finish line withBeetlejuice 2. It’s been 28 years since the original film came out, so it’s not as if the director needs to strike while the iron is hot. He can take his time with this project, and perhaps he’ll continue to do jus that. The director is currentlyattachedto Disney’s live-action version ofDumbo, which could be his next project, based on all of therelease datesfor Disney’s upcoming remakes. We’ll have to continue to wait and see withBeetlejuice 2, but it is good to hear Burton isn’t going to move forward with the sequel until he has another Beetlejuice and Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) story worth telling.
