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| Beetlejuice |
There’s been talk of a “Beetlejuice” sequel for years – Michael Keaton has said the time is ripe to reprise the Ghost with the Most; co-star Geena Davis told our own Clint Morris that she’d definitely consider being a part of any follow-up, and original director Tim Burton was supposedly, at one stage, even writing the return to an afterlife that looks a hell of a lot like a Warner Bros stage.Thanks to Moviehole for the story.
Now it’s official, there’s a new “Beetlejuice” movie coming. Question is : will Keaton, Davis or even Burton be involved?
That we don’t know yet. What we do know is that the film will have a Burton connection, though.
According to Deadline, author and screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith (Burton’s “Dark Shadows”) and producing partner David Katzenberg will spearhead the sequel – and yes, it’s a sequel, not a remake (1 point to Warner).
“We first got to know Seth through his fantastic work on [Tim Burton's] Dark Shadows, and it immediately became a priority to expand our relationship with him,” said Warner Bros production president Greg Silverman. “Seth introduced us to David, who greatly impresses us with the vision for KatzSmith from the very first meeting. We firmly believe in their talents and are extremely excited to welcome them to the Warners family.”
Grahame-Smith is responsible for the books ”Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” and ”Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”, both of which are being turned into films as we speak. They’re great reads so he’ll no doubt write a good “Beetlejuice” movie – - one a lot more appealing than that ‘Beetlejuice goes Hawaiian’ thing that was kicked about in the early ’90s.
But.. will it be the “Beetlejuice” we know and love? I.do.not.know.
Personally, I can’t see Geena Davis, let alone Alec Baldwin or Winona Ryder (who co-starred in the original film), reprising their roles for the sequel. There’s a better chance of Michael Keaton returning to reprise the role of Beetlejuice, I guess, since it’s one of his trademark roles – - but then, this is the studio that tossed Robert Englund out of the ‘Freddy Krueger’ role (a role Englund had been playing and perfected since ’84) in favour of a ‘bigger name’ so don’t put it past the shingle to dump Keaton and bring in say, Johnny Depp (Oh god, that’s who they’re going to get aren’t they!? Especially if Burton’s onboard as a producer, which I assume he will be?) or some other… no, it’ll be Depp, won’t it? Sigh. If we all post Michael Keaton’s name three times in the comments section of this article maybe he’ll get the gig!?
More news on “Beetlejuice 2″ shortly I imagine.