Beetlejuice 2 (2024) just gets better and better!

Many people don’t go one year without watching Beetlejuice (1988) around Halloween, or any time of year, really. The cult classic Tim Burton film unites the spooky with the funny in perfect harmony. Ever since the announcement of a sequel, over 35 years in the making, fans haven’t been able to get enough, and with each new announcement, the anticipation only grows!

Related: Beetlejuice’s Wife Cast in Sequel
The first film centered around the Maitlands, Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis), and the Deetz, Charles (Jeffrey Jones), Delia (Catherine O’Hara), and their daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder). While the two different families clash over the house they’re obliged to share, the summoning of Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) throws everything into commotion, forcing the two families to learn to live together.

Though details for the sequel are scant, all the right pieces are falling into place: Tim Burton is returning as director, the script is being written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who wrote the immensely popular Wednesday series, and the master of spooky music himself, Danny Elfman is returning to score the film. More impressive than even they, however, is the cast.

Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara are all slated to return, each reprising their roles from the first movie. They will be joined by another Wednesday alumni, the star of the show herself, Jenna Ortega, who has joined the cast reportedly as Lydia’s (Ryder) daughter. With a few other reported stars cast in undisclosed roles, it’s shaping up to be something amazing, especially with this newest casting!

Deadline confirmed just this week that Marvel star Willem Dafoe has joined the cast for the new Beetlejuice! Dafoe, who was the standout villain of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), has a well-earned reputation for excelling in each role assigned to him and will certainly bring that same skill to elevating the long-awaited sequel to the Tim Burton classic.

While it has been a tradition in Hollywood in recent years to do sequels or reboots of 30-year-old films, it seems like Warner Bros Discovery may really be taking the Beetlejuice sequel seriously. Each of the people involved is still very successful, meaning that the price tag for bringing them on board must be substantial. But if it’s a story worth telling and one that they feel will be successful, why not?

Related: ‘Beetlejuice 2’ Gets a Release Date
Beetlejuice 2 is slated to hit theaters on September 6, 2024, and will be directed by Tim Burton. So far, the movie stars Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse, Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz, Jenna Ortega as Lydia Deetz’s daughter, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci as Betelgeuse’s wife, and Willem Dafoe.
What do you think of this casting? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!