It took Tim Burton 36 years to make the second chapter of his Beetle Juice franchise and the director thinks it could take another decades for a third.
The cast and crew of Beetle Juice Beetle Juice flocked to London's Leicester Square on Thursday night, fresh off the plane from the 81st Venice Film Festival, to welcome the UK premiere of Burton's latest spooky project, in the presence of returning stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara.
Jenna Ortega, who plays Ryder's daughter Astrid in the blockbuster, also hit the black-and-white striped red carpet alongside new cast members Justin Theroux and Monica Bellucci.
When Burton was asked about the potential of a — dare? — Beetle Juice Beetle Juice Beetle Juice film, the master of the horror genre, 66, was less than optimistic. “Well, if [the same] the time frame goes on, I'll be about 100 years old. So maybe. I doubt it,” he says The Hollywood Reporter.
The cast of 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' pose for photos at the UK premiere on Thursday.
Courtesy of Getty Images
It is a sequel to Burton, who produced classics such as Edward Scissorhands, The Corpse BrideAND Alice in Wonderlandhe described as very personal to him. After nearly four decades, why was 2024 the right year for a sequel to the cult horror-comedy hit? “Well, because the character of Lydia (Ryder) interested me,” Burton says. “As you get older, you start to think about what happens in life. [She] starts out as a cool teenager. Relationships… Do you have kids? What are they like? What do you like? How do you change? These are all things I know and experience. So it felt more right to do it now, rather than in 1989.”
Ortega has become something of a scream queen in recent years, literally. With appearances in Cry franchises such as Netflix Wednesday (of which Burton directed four episodes), the young actress cemented herself as a reliable option for horror pros like Burton. When it came to Beetle Juice 2for Ortega it was an obvious choice. When Burton knocks on the door, you answer.
“Definitely. I mean, I was surprised that he asked me to Wednesday,” recalls Ortega DAY“I was surprised that he asked me to Beetle Juice. Working with him is a dream.” And the ghosts, ghouls and demons of a Tim Burton set are a much more relaxed environment than you might imagine, she adds. “It's the best. It's so safe, so collaborative, so inviting and everyone keeps pushing themselves. It's very playful and it doesn't feel like work, you don't want to leave. Playing (Ryder's) daughter is probably one of the most grateful experiences I've ever had. She's just an absolute legend and one of the loveliest people.”
Willem Dafoe had never worked with Burton before this film, so to say curiosity got the better of him would be an understatement. “It was a big draw,” Dafoe says. “I mean, I’ve followed him for years and I really like his movies. He brought a lot to movies, so when he asked me to do something, even though I wasn’t exactly sure what it was going to be, I was happy to sign on.”
Dafoe plays a ghost cop in this film, “but before I died I was a B-movie star.” The actor enjoyed poking fun at himself. “You know, the narcissism of actors, things like that, I [could] plays into this.” He has a face-altering look in this film, recalling his prosthetics for Poor things: “People want to ruin me, I think,” he says of often ruining his face for roles. “It took a while [to get the make-up on] because every piece is painted. And that's another of the pleasures of the film, all the low-tech effects. It's really hand-made stuff. It's really artisanalit's not the stuff that gets done in post [production]. It's fun because it has a slightly playful and goofy aesthetic, but it still stays true to the horror genre.”
Beetle Juice Beetle Juice was greeted with a standing ovation at this year's Venice Film Festival by audiences at its world premiere on Wednesday night. The film is set to open in the United States on September 6