Long-delayed sequels have come out a lot in recent years, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is no exception. The moviewas released in 2024, 36 years after the original cult classic hit theaters in 1988. It had the fortune of bringing back some of the movie’s original cast members, including Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice‘s cast also introduced new players, including Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, and Burn Gorman. The release also came after Hocus Pocus 2 was released in 2022, 29 years after the original.
Despite the long gap between Beetlejuice and its sequel, the movie ended up doing incredibly well in theaters, making over $451 million worldwide. As a result, Beetlejuice 3 has officially been confirmed to be in development this year. While the movie is in progress, there is still a lot left unknown, including the movie’s plot and casting information. While the second movie’s success instills some confidence that Tim Burton, if he ends up returning, will do a good job with the threequel, there is one mistake he should avoid.
Beetlejuice 3’s Announcement Should Mean Tim Burton Makes It Sooner Than Later
It Was Announced Last Month
In theory, Beetlejuice 3 should come sooner rather than later. After all, Warner Bros. broke the news about the sequel film in April of this year, just seven months after the second film was released in theaters. This announcement has garnered a lot of excitement, and given the momentum of the successful second movie, it would make sense for the Burton film to arrive sooner rather than later.
However, the announcement of Beetlejuice 3 did not come with a release date reveal. Given the high profile of the movie’s cast, several things could get in the way of its swift production. Burton and Ortega, for example, are currently in progress on Wednesday season 2, which will also have significant press responsibilities. Keaton, O’Hara, and Ryder are also sought-after, seasoned stars who are likely to have other projects coming up as well.
Beetlejuice 2 Was Also Put Into Development Quickly, But It Still Took Decades For Tim Burton To Make It
The Sequel Was Initially Fast-Tracked
The franchise history also proves that success and a quick announcement does not always push development along swiftly for these sequels. Like its follow-up, Beetlejuice was a financial success when it was released to theaters in 1988. The movie made over $74 million worldwide, which was a sizable sum given its estimated $15 million budget. As such, a sequel was initially fast-tracked by The Geffen Film Company. By 1990, two scripts had been commissioned, including Beetlejuice in Love and Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian.
If Beetlejuice 3 had the same fraught production timeline as the second film, audiences would not be seeing the threequel until 2060.
After writer changes and rewrites, however, production stalled on these Beetlejuice sequel ideas, and everything pitched was eventually scrapped. After turning over hands in the ’90s several times, the franchise took a decade before significant updates were revealed. In 2011, the sequel was finally revived with Seth Grahame-Smith developing the script, but was shelved again in 2019. In 2022, the ball was finally set in motion, and the movie was filmed in 2023, before hitting the big screen last year. In total, it took over three decades to get this movie from concept to big screen.
Tim Burton Can’t Wait As Long To Make Beetlejuice 3 As He Did With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
This Could Risk Losing Momentum
If Beetlejuice 3 had the same fraught production timeline as the second film, audiences would not be seeing the threequel until 2060. This would obviously be absurd, and cannot happen due to the current ages of Burton and many of the cast members. Given the lack of a concrete release date, however, it would still be possible for Beetlejuice 3 to experience delays closer to what the second movie saw in the 21st century.
Burton and his team should do everything in their power to push Beetlejuice 3 along swiftly. If released within the next couple of years, Beetlejuice 3 could ride the coattails of the sequel’s success, which would be a financial win for Warner Bros. The second movie’s box office shows that people are still interested in the stories of the Deetz family and the тιтular eccentric ghost, so it would be best to deliver the next installment sooner rather than later to capitalize on the budding trilogy’s momentum.
Beetlejuice
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Tim Burton, Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, Warren Skaaren
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Beetlejuice
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Beetlejuice
Summary
Beetlejuice is a dark fantasy horror-comedy franchise that began with the release of the 1988 film directed by Tim Burton. The story follows a recently deceased couple who become ghosts haunting their former home and summon Betelgeuse (pronounced “Beetlejuice”), a mischievous and devious bio-exorcist ghost, to scare away the new inhabitants. The film’s success led to an animated television series, stage musical, and a highly anticipated sequel.
