Tim Burton’s beloved film Beetlejuice got the legacy sequel treatment with 2024’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and now the horror comedy franchise is set to return in Beetlejuice 3. The film concerns the recently deceased Maitland family (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) who turn to a ghastly bio-exorcist to scare away the Deetz clan who have just moved into their home. The 2024 legacy sequel caught up with the Deetzes all these years later, and found Betelgeuse up to his usual antics. With such an imaginative and open-ended concept, the possibility of another Beetlejuice sequel was never off the table.

It took nearly 40 years for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to finally surface, and the wait was clearly worth it as the movie quickly became a box office bonanza. This, more than anything else, was the thing that spurred yet another legacy sequel to begin development at Warner Bros. Other legacy sequels like Top Gun: Maverick are currently getting additional follow-ups, and though it may signal a lack of new ideas in Hollywood, it brings audiences out to movie theaters in ways that more original movies don’t. Beetlejuice 3 (or perhaps more aptly, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) is finally moving forward.

Beetlejuice 3 Latest News

Warner Bros. Slyly Reveals Beetlejuice 3

Less than a year after Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a smash in theaters in 2024, the latest news confirms that Beetlejuice 3 is in development. The update came directly from Warner Bros. CEOs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy who coyly announced that work is taking place on the threequel. When asked directly about the development, De Luca said “Imminently. The ink might not be dry on the deals yet, but imminently.“ This came along with the announcement of A Minecraft Movie 2.

Read a full excerpt from ᴅᴇᴀᴅline‘s interview below:

ᴅᴇᴀᴅLINE: I mentioned getting a new version of The Bodyguard underway. Are you already developing sequels for both Minecraft and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?

DE LUCA: Imminently. The ink might not be dry on the deals yet, but imminently.

ABDY: Adding to things we’re excited about, Andy Serkis doing the Gollum film, Drew Goddard writing a new Matrix. We’re super excited about Amblin developing with Chris Columbus, new entries in the Gremlins and Goonies franchises. We just had a dynamite check-in with Philippa Boyens on Gollum, and I think we’re about to get that script in May. Cat in the Hat and the second Dr. Seuss adaptation Jon M. Chu is co-directing … there’s really great stuff on the horizon.

Beetlejuice 3 Is In Development

A Threequel Hasn’t Been Green-Lit Yet

Though the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was something of a surprise (considering Tim Burton’s aversion to sequels), its box-office success wasn’t all that shocking. Because of this, talk of a third film began almost immediately, and the money-making potential couldn’t be ignored. Add on top of that the imaginative world of the films, and the endless storytelling possibilities, and Beetlejuice 3 seems like a no-brainer. However, it would take more than six months for any real news to surface concerning the threequel.

In April 2025, WB CEOs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy announced that work was beginning “Imminently” on the third film, though they did caution that the deals weren’t done yet. De Luca and Abdy’s confidence in announcing the project means that there’s little doubt that development will move forward, but Beetlejuice 3 is still just an idea for now. Warner Bros. hasn’t green-lit the sequel, and there probably isn’t even a script. As it stands now, Beetlejuice 3 could come quickly, or languish in development forever.

Development doesn’t mean the movie will ever actually happen, and it just means that Warner Bros. is putting some money into crafting a script. If the script soars (or perhaps even if it doesn’t), Warner Bros. could then green-light the movie, and actually put it into production. While the development announcement is exciting, Beetlejuice 3 is still a long ways off for now.

Beetlejuice 3 Cast Details

Will The Ghost With The Most Return?

The cast of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was packed with major stars from both the original film and newcomers as well. This would likely continue in another Beetlejuice film, but the returning cast is much smaller after the events of the legacy sequel. The most likely return would be that of Michael Keaton as the nefarious bio-exorcist, Betelgeuse, though he could be joined by the likes of Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) and Astrid (Jenna Ortega). However, with the afterlife as its main setting, almost any character could plausibly return regardless of their life or death status.

The presumptive cast of Beetlejuice 3 includes:

Actor	Beetlejuice Role
Michael Keaton	Betelgeuse
Winona Ryder	Lydia Deetz
Jenna Ortega	Astrid

Beetlejuice 3 Story Details

What’s Next For Astrid & Lydia?

There was a sense of conclusion to the ending of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, even if there was also a tease that Betelgeuse isn’t really gone for good. Lydia and Astrid finally bonded when the mother and daughter duo truly acknowledged each other’s pain, and their future seemed bright. The most logical story direction for a third Beetlejuice film would be to follow the ghost as he bothers some other family. If the Deetzes were to return again, it would undo all the strong character work put into the sequel’s script.

As for actual plot details, Beetlejuice 3 could go in literally any direction. The wild and wacky world of the franchise is as unlimited as the imagination of filmmaker Tim Burton, and a threequel could explore other unseen corners of the Neitherworld. Or, the next movie could finally resurrect some of Burton’s original ideas for Beetlejuice 2, which involved concepts like Beetlejuice in Hawaii and Beetlejuice in the Old West.