New Beetlejuice 2 Ghost Will Solve 35-Year-Old Mystery About Michael Keaton’s Character

One lingering afterlife mystery from the 1988 original movie may finally be answered in Beetlejuice 2, thanks to the clarification of one actor’s new role in the sequel. The off-kilter afterlife of Beetlejuice is one of the movie’s greatest charms. Director Tim Burton brought his distinctive visual sense to the bureaucratic dreamscape laid out in Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren’s screenplay, creating a truly unique cinematic vision. Yet the film’s creative “Neitherworld” invites numerous questions which Beetlejuice 2 is called upon to answer.

There’s already plenty of excitement in the air for the upcoming Beetlejuice 2, which will arrive 36 years after the original. The long-awaited sequel has an exciting cast of new and returning characters lined up, with one particular addition promising answers to some of Beetlejuice’s biggest mysteries. What’s more, the confirmed character profile gives an encouraging assurance that Beetlejuice’s bizarre humor is intact in the legacy sequel. While the 2024 film doesn’t share the original movie’s screenwriters (Burton recruited Wednesday showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar to pen Beetlejuice 2), it seems that returning director Tim Burton is determined to deliver a satisfying and memorable second outing.

Willem Dafoe’s Afterlife Police Officer Can Explain Why Beetlejuice Was Never Arrested For Past Bioexorcisms

By the time the events of Beetlejuice take place, it’s clear that the titular entity has been wreaking havoc on the living and dead for a while. A line in the movie implies that Beetlejuice has been dead for at least 600 years, giving him centuries of opportunities to cause chaos for those unfortunate enough to call on his advertisement. Since the undead Neitherworld is shown to be a bureaucracy, complete with restrictive rules and unduly wait times, it’s baffling that Beetlejuice has not yet gotten into trouble for his bioexorcisms. It seems that Willem Dafoe’s Beetlejuice 2 character will likely answer this confusion with the introduction of Neitherworld law enforcement.

According to Dafoe, Beetlejuice 2 will see him play a Neitherworld detective who was a B-movie action star in life. The role sounds like a natural extension of Beetlejuice’s offbeat humor, and Dafoe will doubtless bring a distinct comic presence to the character. Dafoe’s detective will probably be tasked with tracking Beetlejuice down in Beetlejuice 2, finally demonstrating that the Neitherworld does, in fact, have the prerogative to bring the troublesome spirit in. Dafoe’s character may have been on Beetlejuice’s tail for decades, or the “bioexorcist” may have finally crossed a line for the Neitherworld authorities in the sequel.

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Willem Dafoe’s Beetlejuice 2 Update Reveals Fan-Favorite Original Character Is Being Replaced

New details about Willem Dafoe’s character in Beetlejuice 2 indicate that he’ll be taking over the role of a beloved figure from the 1988 original.

Willem Dafoe’s Character Is A Great Way To Expand The Neitherworld’s Lore In Beetlejuice 2

Regardless of what explanation Beetlejuice 2 gives for the titular entity’s evasion of the law, the presence of Dafoe’s detective all but guarantees clarifying context on the rules of the afterlife. Indeed, the scope of the original movie only offers limited glimpses into its vastly compelling and original cinematic afterlife; the Neitherworld sequences are limited to the waiting room and Juno the caseworker’s office in Beetlejuice. Yet Dafoe’s detective character in Beetlejuice 2 is a walking embodiment of the Neitherworld’s authority; the character can explore unseen facets of the afterlife or explain the world’s laws to the uninitiated. The sharp inclusion paves the way for a deeply satisfying sequel.