Best Halloween news ever.
According to “The Wrap,” whose sources claim to be from “multiple individuals familiar with the project,” Tim Burton is officially in talks with Warner Brothers to direct “Beetlejuice 2,” the sequel to his 1988 supernatural and comedic classic.
The entertainment news site also stated that Michael Keaton, who played the wise guy and troublemaker “ghost with the most,” is also expecting to return and reprise the iconic role.
After a cultural explosion of toys, video games, and cartoon shows, it was only a matter of time (25 years, to be exact) for the undead universe to come back to life on the silver screen.
Although personally irritated at Hollywood’s recent fixation on remakes and sequels, this wave of news was one of pleasant surprises and apprehension.
As a huge Burton fan, I’m currently geeking-out over the news of a sequel. Burton isn’t a huge fan of them; his last one was 1992’s “Batman Returns” with, ironically, Keaton. With him and Keaton on board, I’m hoping their commitment to the sequel will rally in more actors from the original on board too (Baldwin, Davis, O’Hara, and Ryder, I’m looking at you).
Regardless, I’m praying the movie (and Burton’s imaginative mind) will help bring back the magic of filmmaking. Unfortunately, Beetle juice himself is one of the few authentic and iconic movie role characters left in Hollywood. If the sequel occurs, new and old audiences will get to indulge themselves into a creative world and remind themselves how magical a movie can truly be.
Let’s just hope Hollywood won’t oversell the character and movie to a brink of annoyance.
