Confirmed: Tim Burton In Talks To Direct The ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel [Updated]
Update from Editor Peter Sciretta:The Wraphas confirmed thatTim BurtonIS in talks to directMichael Keatonin Beetlejuice 2. The Geffen Company will produce the sequel withSeth Grahame-Smith.
So while its confirmed Burton’s in talks, its not a done deal. Original story follows below.
We’ve hoped from the start thatTim Burtonwould be involved with theBeetlejuicesequel in one way or another, and now it seems he may be even more involved than we had originally anticipated. According to a new rumor, the filmmaker is considering directing the new movie himself, from the script bySeth Grahame-SmithandDavid Katzenberg. Hit the jump to get the latest.
The story comes fromThe Schmoes Know podcast(viaComic Book Movie), who heard it from a “VERY RELIABLE” inside source. (Their caps, not ours.) If true, it sounds like Burton’s pretty serious.
Their tipster says that Burton was actually considering dropping out of Fox’sMiss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Childrenlast week so that he could doBeetlejuice 2instead. Fortunately for Fox, Burton was eventually able to rearrange his schedule, and now plans to do both movies. Or so says the story.
The popular sentiment among fans is thatBeetlejuice 2won’t beBeetlejuicewithout Burton and starMichael Keaton, and writers Grahame-Smith and Katzenberg have agreed from the beginning. They explained in 2011:
When Warner Bros. came to us about it, we said the only way we’d do it if we got Tim [Burton’s] blessing and involvement, and we got that, and the star of the movie has to be Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, and it’s a true continuation 26 years later. Not just throwing him in as a cameo going, “Hey, it’s me. I endorse this movie.” We’re not there yet [with Keaton] because we don’t have a film to present to him.
Burton hasmentioneda few times in the past that he’s spoken with the writers, but this is the first we’ve heard that he may direct. Keaton hasn’t talked about it as much, butothers have saidthat he’s excited about reprising his iconic role.Winona Ryderso fardoes not seem to be involved. The new film is a direct sequel that will pick up twenty-something years after the events of the original. No release date has been scheduled at this time.
