Beetlejuice 2 is a name we’ve been hearing in the press more than three times as of late, so it has to be happening. Michael Keaton’s triumphant return to the 1988 Tim Burton role he made famous is currently underway, and its production boasts quite a cast of Hollywood notables. The most recent of which happens to be Willem Dafoe, who is finally teaming up with a director he seems made to play for, and in an appropriately spooky role.
Don’t get your hopes up for any new story notes, babe, as the Beetlejuice sequel’s plot is still sequestered in the realm known as secrecy. That being said, the announcement of Dafoe’s participation does come with some added context in a report from THR. Apparently, the character Willem Dafoe will be playing is “a law enforcement officer in the afterlife.”
That description, at least to me, reads as “ghost cop,” and that’s a role that’s absolutely in the Dafoe wheelhouse. It’s even more exciting to see that dream come true under Tim Burton, who surprisingly has never worked with the Spider-Man: No Way Home actor before this very picture. Out of all the pairings that could happen in the world of movies, a Dafoe/Burton ticket feels like something that should have happened, at the very latest, in the mid-'90s.
Seeing as Beetlejuice 2 has been on a casting tear as of late, it really has been exciting to discover all the newcomers to the legacy-quel’s cast. Previously, it was announced that Jenna Ortega will be playing Winona Ryder’s daughter, with Ryder also reprising her role as Lydia Deetz. Not to mention, legacy cast member Catherine O'Hara and newcomer Justin Theroux are also on the roster for this next chapter in the ghostly comedy. And just yesterday, Monica Bellucci had been revealed as Beetlejuice’s wife, which is another detail that only makes the mystery surrounding the story that's assembled such a venerated cast that much more intriguing.
While there are strict rules for how the living and the dead can interact in the Beetlejuice universe, one has to wonder which one is potentially fresh enough, and dangerous enough, to attract the attention of undead law enforcement. Unless, of course, the twist to Beetlejuice 2 is that Michael Keaton’s spirited pot stirrer is actually on the side of good for once. Or at least as good as one could expect from this legendary prankster.
In the absence of any actual story being divulged, this new adventure into the afterlife has already recruited a murderer’s row of talent. As production has just started to make Beetlejuice 2’s planned September 2024 release a reality, there’s no telling what news any follow-up announcements will bring.
All we know is that Willem Dafoe is on the beat to serve and protect the hereafter, and that to prepare for this next adventure, you can currently stream the original Beetlejuice with a Hulu subscription. For those of you Dafoe fans wondering where you can see the legendary actor next, he'll be reuniting with director Wes Anderson for this summer's comedy Asteroid City, set to debut in limited release on June 16th.
