Update On BEETLEJUICE Sequel; Michael Keaton Could Return & More
Screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith gave an update on the status of the new Beetlejuice movie he is set to write, stating that the movie would be a sequel, and also that Michael Keaton could star in it.
Rumors of a sequel to the classic Tim Burton Beetlejuice have been around for a few years now. Back in January Burton confirmed that Seth Grahame-Smith, who is the screenwriter for Dark Shadows, was working on a screenplay. And today at WonderCon, Collider got the chance to talk with Smith while he was promoting Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, with the screenwriter confirming that Michael Keaton, who played Beetlejuice in the original movie, would return to this new version and that Tim Burton would produce, he also said that this new movie would take place 26 or 27 years after the original one.
“Beetlejuice is hopefully the third thing I’m gonna write this year. I’ve met with Tim about it, I’ve met with Michael Keaton about it. There’s a lot of goodwill to want to do it from both of those guys; Tim from a producing aspect and Michael from returning to the character. Again, it’s on me. It’s whether or not I can come up with a script that’s worthy of them jumping back in.”
I have a rough idea of what it’s gonna be. However—I should stress this—it’s not a remake, it’s not a reboot, it is a true sequel with Michael Keaton as the title character Beetlejuice. The thing that Tim and Michael and I all agree on, and is most important for me is, I don’t wanna be the guy that destroys the legacy and the memory of the first film; I would rather die. I would rather just not make it, I’d rather just throw the whole thing away than make something that pays no respect and doesn’t live up even close to the legacy of the first film.”
“This will be a true 26 or 27 years later sequel. What’s great is that for Beetlejuice, time means nothing in the afterlife, but the world outside is a different story.”