Burton, Keaton, Ryder in Talks for "Beetlejuice 2"

Is it "showtime" again for Beetlejuice?

Sources have told Variety that Tim Burton is in talks to direct a sequel to his 1988 comedy, Beetlejuice. Seth Grahame Smith (Dark Shadows, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) penned the script and will produce with his partner David Katzenberg through their KatzSmith Productions.

Burton rarely does sequels (his only sequel has been Batman Returns), but perhaps he's interested in revisiting one of his favorite film characters. Vital to this is that Michael Keaton is interested in reprising his leading ghoulish role, having told NME.com that the sequel is "a go."

Additionally, Winona Ryder might be reprising her character. The actress recently told The Daily Beast that the long-gestating sequel "might be happening."

Burton, of course, is quite busy. The filmmaker is also eyeing his Fox project, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, with one source saying it could possibly go before Beetlejuice 2. Also, he is in production on his latest feature, Big Eyes.

More information will be announced in the near future, so stay tuned!

Winona Ryder in "Beetlejuice" Sequel?

Winona Ryder is reportedly set to be in talks with Tim Burton and screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith next week to discuss the possibility of making a sequel to the 1988 comedy, Beetlejuice.

Will she star in the film?: "You tell me - I don't know! I've heard from journalists, that's how I found out, but I'm seeing Tim next week, and I will let you know."

She added: "I'm trying to think about how that would work. Obviously I'm not [the focal point]; it's got to be Michael [Keaton]. So is it happening?... Tim hasn't confirmed it yet."

Ryder clarified that she would not be averse to joining the project if the story appealed to her: "If it was interesting. Although, I don't know if I would ever know a good script if it bit me in the face. But, I know what I like, so we'll see.

"Seth is writing something. I just told him, because it was something where I liked the character, he'd probably have a better response. He has ideas about it, so I just wanted to let him respond to it and see what he comes up with."

Winona Ryder has collaborated with Tim Burton on Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), and his newest feature, Frankenweenie (2012).

Video: Burton on "Vampire Hunter," "Frankenweenie," Old and New Projects

Collider recently had a conversation with Tim Burton. In the interview, the filmmaker discussed a range of topics, from how Disney let him make his stop-motion Frankenweenie, his involvement with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, what he thinks of the test-screening process, whether there are deleted scenes from older films like Ed Wood, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and Beetlejuice, and his criteria in picking future projects.

Video: Burton on "Beetlejuice 2"

Shock Till You Drop spoke with Tim Burton to get a few words on the possibility of making a sequel to Beetlejuice. Here is a transcript of what Burton had to say:

"Seth [Grahame-Smith] is writing something, so we'll see. I love the character but I want to just kind of look at it from a fresh perspective and see what he comes up with. That's like one of my favorite characters I've ever dealt with. [Michael Keaton] is one of the first people I worked with who was so good at improv. That movie, I was very lucky to work with a lot of actors, like him and Catherine O'Hara, who were very good at improv, so that kind of set me on a whole new course. I would love to revisit that character at some point."

Video: Walker, Grahame-Smith on "Vampire Hunter," "Beetlejuice 2"

The Reel Bits has posted this video interview with actor Benjamin Walker and screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith. The two men discuss their latest project, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The pair talk about treating the actual historical figure of President Lincoln with respect in this amusing fictional mash-up, Walker's preparation for the role, how Lincoln historians have responded to this film, and more.

Grahame-Smith also talks about the possible Beetlejuice sequel that he is currently developing with Warner Bros. Grahame-Smith explained that he has met with both Tim Burton and Michael Keaton to discuss the possibility of making a sequel to the 1988 comedy, but stressed that nobody wants to do the project simply to cash in on a familiar name. He reassured the interviewer that if the sequel is never made, it's because they "couldn't do it right."

Video: Seth Grahame-Smith Plans to Write "Beetlejuice 2" This Year

Collider spoke to writer Seth Grahame-Smith this weekend at WonderCon. The screenwriter and novelist is keeping very busy, but stated that he plans on writing the first draft of a sequel to Beetlejuice this year. Here's a video:


“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.”

He continued: “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.”

Grahame-Smith elaborated on applying a real-time time-frame to the sequel: “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.”

Updates on "Beetlejuice 2"

ShockTillYouDrop.com spoke with screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith, and asked him about whether Beetlejuice 2 will become a reality or not. "It's a reality in the sense that I met with Michael Keaton last week," Grahame-Smith told us. "We talked for a couple of hours and talked about big picture stuff. It's a priority for Warner Bros. It's a priority for Tim [Burton]. Right now, I am writing an animated movie for Tim based on an idea of mine. Then I adapt Unholy Night [based on the upcoming book]. The third I am hoping is Beetlejuice in terms of writing schedule."

And what was Keaton's excitement level like?

"Huge," the writer added, "he's been wanting to do it for 20 years and he'll talk to anybody about it who will listen. I really told him, I have a huge reverence for Tim and a huge reverence for that film in general. I don't think we should do it if we shit on the legacy. He agrees. So, right now, it remains to be seen, I have a couple of story ideas, but we're very early out."

So, it's possible that Grahame-Smith and Burton might be working on two more projects after their collaborations on Dark Shadows and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: an animated film (which is likely the stop-motion film, Night of the Living) and, if Warner Bros., Keaton, and Burton agree, possibly Beetlejuice 2. Stay tuned...

No "Beetlejuice 2" Without Burton's Blessing

Entertainment Weekly spoke with David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith, the heads of KatzSmith productions, to learn more about their various upcoming plans and projects. Included in were two possible projects that may involve Tim Burton -- emphasis on "possible" and "may." The first was a possible sequel to Beetlejuice.

David Katzenberg: We’re not remaking Beetlejuice. People have been very angry about that.

Seth Grahame-Smith: When Warner Bros. came to us about it, we said the only way we’d do it if we got Tim [Burton’s] blessing and involvement, and we got that, and the star of the movie has to be Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, and it’s a true continuation 26 years later. Not just throwing him in as a cameo going, “Hey, it’s me. I endorse this movie.” We’re not there yet [with Keaton] because we don’t have a film to present to him.


The second film discussed was a possible stop-motion animated feature, Night of the Living. The idea is still only a concept, but the duo are considering pitching it to Tim Burton. The story concerns a community of monsters whose peaceful lives are turned around when they are invaded by humans.

Seth Grahame-Smith: Night of the Living is all of the topes of horror movies, but turned on their head from the monster’s point-of-view.

Again, however, Night of the Living does not yet have Burton attached to it.


Seth Grahame-Smith wrote the screenplays for two future Burton films, Dark Shadows and the Burton-produced Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. David Katzenberg is the son of Jeffrey Katzenberg, founder and head of DreamWorks Animation.


Image Credit: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

Keaton, Davis Would Like "Beetlejuice" Sequel

Michael Keaton and Geena Davis recently said that if the opportunity ever came up, they would gladly take part in a sequel to Beetlejuice.

Keaton said: "Oh I'd do that in a heartbeat - absolutely, that's the one thing I'd love to do again."

He continued: "That's the only one I'd love to do."

Keaton then revealed that in 2005 he spoke to Tim Burton about the possibilities of Beetlejuice 2.



He said: "At one point, I had the conversation with Tim, saying 'I love this movie so much; I think there's one more in there somewhere.' And we both talked about it, and I think there was a script written once years ago that wasn't quite it. I would consider that, yeah, a lot. I would seriously consider that."

Geena Davis also said last month she would be keen to make a sequel to the movie.

She said: "It's funny, [another journalist] just asked me about a sequel to Beetlejuice - which, though I haven't heard anything about it, might be interesting. I would do that!"

The original Beetlejuice -- Tim Burton's second feature film -- came out in 1988. Wisely, Davis pointed out some technicalities that would exist with doing a sequel more than twenty years later.



Geena said: "Thing is, do ghosts age? Wouldn't we be stuck in the age we were? Alec [Baldwin] and I would have to look as we did then - who knows, maybe we could? I better get in touch with Tim Burton."

This of course does not mean that there will be a sequel to Beetlejuice -- just that two of its stars are still big enough fans that, if the event ever occurred, they would happily return to their roles.

In the early 1990s, an unproduced sequel for Beetlejuice was considered, but never came to fruition.

Watch Tim Burton on "The Charlie Rose Show"

In case you missed it, here is the superb interview with Tim Burton on The Charlie Rose Show, which premiered on Thursday, November 26th, 2009. This is most of the episode. It begins with the three curators from the Museum of Modern Art discussing Burton's art, then goes to the man of the hour himself. Rose describes Burton as the "perfect guest", as they enthusiastically talk about a plethora of topics including his most personal films, being a parent, children's artwork, his creative process, and much more:

New "Beetlejuice" DVD This September

The official poster for Beetlejuice.
No cover art for the new DVD release is available yet.

Is a new special edition DVD of Tim Burton's classic Beetlejuice coming out this September?! Yes and no. This won't be the Beetlejuice 20th anniversary DVD release of your dreams, with behind-the-scenes featurettes galore and an audio commentary track or two, from the looks of it.

Instead, this upcoming DVD, Warner Bros. has stated, will feature the 1988 macabre comedy in a newly restored and clear presentation. Also, it will include three episodes from the animated series based on the film, which was produced by Burton and David Geffen:

-"A-Ha" from Season One
-"Skeletons in the Closet" from Season Two
-"Spooky Boo-tique" from Season Two

The animated series.

The so-called "Beetlejuice (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)" will be released on standard DVD (for roughly $20) and high-definition Blu-Ray DVD ($35) in North America on September 16th, 2008.The Blu-Ray version will also include a sample CD of select tracks from the movie's score by Danny Elfman.

This upcoming DVD release is skimping on the extras for the most part. No confirmation on whether or not it will include the music-only audio track that the original, more primitive DVD release of Beetlejuice from 1998 featured (but most likely, there will not be).

Beetlejuice, released in 1988, was the second feature-length film directed by Burton. It stars Michael Keaton (Batman) in one of his craziest performances, as well as Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, and Robert Goulet in a brief cameo. Other Burton collaborators in the film include Catherine O'hara and Glenn Shadix (who were both in The Nightmare Before Christmas), Winona Ryder (Edward Scissorhands), and Jeffrey Jones (Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow), among others.

Michael Keaton on Tim Burton at Film Festival

This Saturday, April 12th, Michael Keaton will attend the Sonoma Valley Film Festival in northern California, FilmStew.com stated.

Keaton is the director and co-star of a new drama, The Merry Gentlemen. In addition to a screening of his new film, Keaton will also be the recipient of a special career tribute, which will be followed by a screening of his well-known comedy, Beetlejuice, which was also his first film with Tim Burton.

A number of surprise special guests are expected at the show, the article stated, including, some suspect, Burton.

Keaton spoke about his collaborations with the director, saying, "I would work with Tim Burton again in a heartbeat," in a recent phone interview last week with the San Francisco Chronicle. "When you're around that kind of personality, it starts to burn little fires again, you get turned on. And that goes for a lot of people."

Michael Keaton at San Jose's Cinequest.
(John Medina/WireImage.com Photo)

There is no confirmation on whether Burton will attend or not.

Michael Keaton worked with Tim Burton on Beetlejuice in 1988, and then as the title Caped Crusader in Batman and Batman Returns.

Batman Costume Set to Sell For $80k

Michael Keaton as the Dark Knight in Batman Returns (1992).

The Batman costume that Michael Keaton wore in Tim Burton's Batman Returns is set to sell for over $80,000 (roughly £40,000) at an auction.

The classic costume also comes with the signature cape and cowl.

A spokesman for auctioneers Profiles In History said: "This is a complete costume, from head-to-toe, with the zipper in the back to allow entry for Keaton.

"It's mounted on a custom display, with a lifecast face of Michael Keaton, and stands over six feet tall.

"It's a very rare and highly desirable costume from this film, which is now considered a classic in the superhero genre."

The two-day auction will occur on Thursday and Friday, in Calbasas, near Los Angeles.

You can read more about the item and more Batman related artifacts at the auction in this article.