Beetlejuice 3 is on the way, and after the success of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the upcoming sequel may be the perfect opportunity to revive the wild sequel story that Tim Burton originally wanted. It took a long time for 2024’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to release, with it coming decades after the original 1988 Beetlejuice. Throughout its development, the sequel took a lot of forms before finally becoming the box office hit that was released. Luckily, it seems as if the wait for Beetlejuice 3 will be a lot shorter, especially if it lifts its story from this scrapped Tim Burton idea.

Beetlejuice 3 has been officially announced, with Warner Bros. preparing for a sequel in the wake of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice‘s box office success. Very few details have been revealed regarding the third film, with virtually nothing about the story being officially known. The same couldn’t be said for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ahead of its release, with the first sequel being surrounded by rumors of this wild story up until its first trailer.

Tim Burton Previously Wanted Beetlejuice & The Deetz Family To Go To Hawaii

The Idea Was In Development For Several Years

Interestingly, the final story of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice isn’t the first adventure that Tim Burton had planned for the sequel. The first draft for a Beetlejuice sequel was commissioned in 1990, with it being тιтled Beetlejuice in Love. This screenplay, written by Warren Skaaren, followed Betelgeuse as he pursued the fiancée of a recently-deceased lover. Unfortunately, this script didn’t end up going anywhere.

Shortly after that, Tim Burton commissioned Jonathan Gems to write a screenplay тιтled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. In the film, the Deetz family would move to Hawaii, where Charles Deetz is building a resort. Eventually, the Deetzs realize that the resort is on the burial ground of a Hawaiian Kahuna, who comes back to life to haunt the Deetzs. The Deetzs must get help from Betelgeuse, who is tasked with beating the Kahuna in a surfing contest in order to save the Deetz family.

The Hawaiian idea was Tim Burton’s, with him finding humor is a mash-up of the first Beetlejuice‘s macabre tone with a Hawaiian surfing movie. Burton continued developing the idea after the initial script draft, with it receiving a rewrite in 1993. Kevin Smith was even asked to rewrite the script in 1996, showing that this idea was being developed for years. In 1997, however, Jonathan Gems stated that the screenplay would probably never get filmed due to Winona Ryder being too old for the role of Lydia.

Why Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian’s Story Wasn’t Used For Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

An Official Reason Hasn’t Been Given (But There Are Theories)

Development on a Beetlejuice sequel wasn’t restarted until 2011, when Warner Bros. hired Seth Grahame-Smith to write a script. By the time development restarted, the Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian idea had seemingly been thrown out, with the team wanting to do a more traditional Beetlejuice movie.

It has never been officially confirmed why Beetlejuice Beetlejuice didn’t use the Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian premise. However, there are some theories. It could have to do with the story centering around Charles Deetz developing a resort. Due to Jeffrey Jones’ legal troubles, the actor didn’t return in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, meaning that this story would have been harder to tell. It could also have to do with the amount of time that has pᴀssed. Bringing Beetlejuice back after decades only to do a weird Hawaiian surfing movie may not have sat right with fans, with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice instead opting to do a more traditional story.

Beetlejuice 3 Is Now Tim Burton’s Chance To Do The Planned Hawaiian Sequel

Since Beetlejuice 2 Was So Similar To The Original

Now that Beetlejuice 3 is happening, it is the perfect time for Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian to make its comeback. The quick turnaround time between the sequels means that Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian wouldn’t be as frowned upon. If general audiences aren’t a fan of the big swing, they still have a fairly new Beeltejuice Beetlejuice to go back to. Plus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was criticized for being too similar to the original film. Tim Burton has already caught viewers up with these characters after years of absence, so it makes sense to do something entirely new with them in Beetlejuice 3.