Warner Bros.’ new announcement about Beetlejuice 2 may have hinted at the fate of a huge returning character in the 2024 sequel. After over 35 years of anticipation for a follow-up, Beetlejuice 2 is finally happening, with Tim Burton returning as the director and original actors Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara confirmed to reprise their roles. However, while plot details have largely been kept under wraps ahead of the movie’s release on September 6, 2024, certain teases from the cast, crew, and studio hint at what’s in store for the titular ghost’s return.
In addition to releasing a new poster featuring the familiar number ticket from Beetlejuice’s original ending, Warner Bros. has revealed that the official title for the 2024 sequel is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The title is a clever callback to the phrase used to conjure Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice, as saying “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” in succession will either summon or banish his character. Though the title could just be a fun gag for the movie, the meaning behind the phrase could prove to be a subtle tease about the fate of Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice in Beetlejuice 2’s ending.
Beetlejuice 2’s Official Title Hints Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice Won’t Be Defeated In The 2024 Movie
One of the most important rules from Tim Burton’s 1988 Beetlejuice was to avoid saying Beetlejuice’s name three times, as it would summon him into the living world. However, the movie’s final act proves that saying his name three times is also crucial after he has been summoned, as this is the only way he can be expelled. A contract is created the first time someone says it three times, with the contract being nullified once his name is repeated three times again – unless he finds a way to marry a living person, which allows him to remain indefinitely.
Beetlejuice’s ending sees the Maitlands and Deetzes say Beetlejuice’s name twice, and it’s ineffective, reiterating that the only way to defeat him is to say it exactly three times. Consequently, Beetlejuice 2’s official title being Beetlejuice Beetlejuice could be a hint at the sequel’s ending, as the Deetz family may fail to banish him again by only being able to say his name two times instead of three. With Monica Bellucci playing Beetlejuice’s wife as a new character in Beetlejuice 2, he could be successful in marrying a living person before his name can be said three times.
With a wedding dress having already been teased for a Beetlejuice 2 scene from set photos, it seems Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice is returning with the expectation of finally sealing his marriage pact and staying with the living. If so, it’s possible that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will have a more bleak ending than the 1988 film, potentially seeing either Lydia (Winona Ryder) or Lydia’s daughter (Jenna Ortega) forced into a wedding that isn’t interrupted by a sandworm this time around. It’s now seeming more likely that Beetlejuice won’t be defeated in the sequel, which may in turn set up Beetlejuice 3.
Beetlejuice’s Title Already Teases The Need For Beetlejuice 3 To Happen
With the iconic phrase from the original movie being “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” it seems Tim Burton and Warner Bros. could be toying with audiences by teasing that Beetlejuice 3 is in the works. That may be unlikely this far before Beetlejuice 2’s release, but it certainly suggests that Beetlejuice 3 is being considered as a possibility to fulfill the franchise’s most notable quote. If the sequel is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, then Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice would be the perfect way to complete the phrase and finally defeat Michael Keaton’s character for good with a Burton-helmed trilogy.
Furthermore, with the wedding plot seemingly being revived, it’s unlikely that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice would end the same way as the original movie. To introduce a new twist for the final act, making the Deetzes unsuccessful while Beetlejuice returns to a life among the living and dead without the imprisonment of his curse would make for a shocking ending. Of course, it’s unlikely that the Deetzes’ story would fully conclude on such a demoralizing note, thus creating the need for Beetlejuice 3 as they finally expel Keaton’s menacing ghost once and for all.
Beetlejuice Prevailing Against The Deetz Family In Beetlejuice 2 Would Follow A Long Movie Trilogy Trope
If Beetlejuice Beetlejuice were to end with the villain, aka Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice, winning, it would follow the trajectory of some of the most famous movie trilogies. Namely, the pattern where the first movie ends with the protagonists triumphant, the sequel sees the villain prevail or the heroes’ mission fail, and the third movie more definitively sees the heroes win. For example, the original Star Wars trilogy famously saw the heroes prevail in A New Hope, fail to defeat Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine in The Empire Strikes Back, and finally take down the Empire in Return of the Jedi.
If Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice ends up following this model, then Beetlejuice Beetlejuice would essentially be its version of The Empire Strikes Back. Burton has never directed a movie trilogy before, so this would be the first of its kind for the modern master of gothic horror. More than three decades after the original movie’s premiere, Beetlejuice could be the franchise where he puts his own unique twist on these classic Hollywood tropes.
Returning Beetlejuice 2 Actor’s New Update Reveals Tim Burton Is Fixing A Big Missed Opportunity From The Original Movie
A new tease from an original Beetlejuice actor reveals that Tim Burton is making up for a lost opportunity in 2024’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Beetlejuice 3 Actually Happening Would Go Against Tim Burton’s Comments From 2016
Though Beetlejuice 3 happening seems more and more likely, Tim Burton’s comments from 2016 may sadly debunk this. Burton has been questioned about the possibility of Beetlejuice 2 for decades, and six years before it was finally announced, he told Collider that he “really would like to do in the right circumstances, but it’s one of those films where it has to be right.” Clearly, the story for 2024’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was “right,” but that doesn’t mean that Beetlejuice 3 will automatically happen, even if the sequel proves to be a hit.
Burton elaborated, “It’s not the type of movie that cries out [for a sequel], it’s not the Beetlejuice trilogy,” which suggests even today that there won’t be a trilogy unless the story warrants it. Tim Burton has often avoided sequels or prequels to movies that he doesn’t believe need them, such as how he dislikes the idea of Disney making The Nightmare Before Christmas 2. Consequently, Beetlejuice 3 won’t happen just because it can or because Beetlejuice 2 is a box office success, as Burton would seemingly only return if the story’s conclusion wouldn’t work without a trilogy.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
- Release Date
- September 6, 2024
- Director
- Tim Burton
- Cast
- Michael Keaton , Jenna Ortega , Winona Ryder , Monica Bellucci , Willem Dafoe , Justin Theroux , Catherine O’Hara
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
