Well, this is at least a little bit of good news!
I was wary about a sequel to Beetlejuice since, well, the original came out almost twenty-five years ago and even though co-writer Seth Grahame-Smith (along with frequent collaborator David Katzenberg) has a history with Tim Burton having written Burton’s upcoming Dark Shadows (Burton is also producing the film adaptation of Grahame-Smith’s novel Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which Grahame-Smith adapted himself), I doubted that Burton (who directed the comedy classic) and star Michael Keaton would be anywhere near the thing. But in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Grahame-Smith and Katzenberg have happily proved my doubts to be wrongly doubted.
First, Katzenberg makes it clear: “We’re not remaking Beetlejuice. People have been very angry about that.” This is a sequel, not a remake, and Grahame-Smith explains how serious they are about the film, adding, “When Warner Bros. came to us about it, we said the only way we’d do it is 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.”
While Grahame-Smith’s math is a bit off (it’s been 23 years since the original, not 26), all the above is good news. A Beetlejuice sequel only has the potential of being great if the original players behind it are involved, and since the two writers are only working on the project on the condition that both men are, this is a satisfying news story. Personally I’m on the fence about whether I’d even want to see another Beetlejuice movie, but at least this helps nudge me closer to “yes”.
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