Summary:
- Michael Keaton assures fans that ‘Beetlejuice 2’ is “great” after viewing the first cut, noting its emotional depth alongside the visual excitement of the original.
- Reuniting with Tim Burton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara, the sequel is set to release on Sept. 6.
Fans recently caught their first glimpse of Beetlejuice 2, officially titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, with the release of its first trailer.
Concerns arose among some about whether Tim Burton‘s upcoming sequel could live up to the 1988 cult classic.
However, Michael Keaton, during an interview on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, offered comforting words after viewing the first cut of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
“I’ve seen it now. I’m going to see it again after a couple of little tweaks in the editing room, and I confidently say this thing is great,” Keaton stated.
“The [original] was so fun and exciting visually. [The sequel is] all that but really beautiful and interestingly emotional here and there. I wasn’t ready for that. It’s great.”
The original Beetlejuice, released in 1988, was a critical and commercial success, grossing $74.7 million worldwide against a $15 million budget.
It also garnered an Academy Award for Best Makeup and three Saturn Awards.
The upcoming sequel is set decades after the original and follows an “unexpected family tragedy,” leading three generations of the Deetz family back to Winter River.
Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is further disrupted when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, opens a portal to the Afterlife.
Reflecting on reprising his role as Beetlejuice, Keaton admitted feeling a bit daunted and revisited the original movie for inspiration.
“It’s like a piece of art, you know what I mean? It’s almost like you want to take it and put it in a museum. There’s just nothing like it. To do it again was a little, I guess intimidating, and I was nervous about it,” Keaton said.
“I’d probably only really seen it from the beginning once or twice maybe. So I hadn’t seen it for a long, long, long time so I did go back and look at it again.”
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice reunites Keaton with Tim Burton and original cast members Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara, reprising their roles as Delia and Lydia Deetz.
Newcomers Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, and Willem Dafoe join the cast, with the film set to hit theaters on Sept. 6.
