Credit: NetflixJenna Ortega recently wrapped Beetlejuice 2, where she plays the daughter of Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) in Tim Burton’s return to the Micheal Keaton-led production. According to the actress who is about to beging filming season two of the hit show Wednesday, she preferred one of Burton’s productions far more than the other.
Jenna Ortega is the Hollywood phenomenon who has been growing to stardom at excess speed over the past few years. Ortega began her acting journey with Disney in Stuck in the Middle, but quickly found her calling in the horror genre. Jenna has been in the murder/love series YOU, she played Tara Carpenter in the Scream franchise (which she has quit due to Wednesday), she was in X, among many other horror films, and of course, plays Wednesday Addams in the record-breaking Netflix series.
Ortega may have broken barriers when it comes to Wednesday, topping Stranger Things 4 and becoming the most watched English-speaking series on the platform, but another Burton project has Ortega even more excited.
Beetlejuice 2, which is set to debut on September 6, 2024, film will have Micheal Keaton reprising his role as Beetlejuice, Catherine O’Hara returning as Delia Deetz, and Winona Ryder returning as Lydia Deetz.
Wednesday and Scream breakout star Jenna Ortega is stepping in to play the daughter of Lydia, with other actors like Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, and Monica Bellucci being added as well. So far, we know that Dafoe will be playing a “dead” cop figure who was a b-level actor, but aside from that, most of the storyline has been kept under wraps.
Recently, we shared Jenna’s latest interview speaking on the film, she said, “Visually, so exciting. Everything was practical,” stated Ortega, further discussing the look of the film. “I think we’re not using very much CGI or something like that at all.”
She also added that Beetlejuice 2 was “the most fun I’ve ever had on a set,” when speaking with Entertainment Tonight. Ortega was nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category for her performance in Netflix’s Wednesday, which has 12 nominations total. The nomination also makes Ortega the second youngest woman ever to be nominated in the category. She is also nominated for a People’s Choice Award.
All of that being said, Jenna confirmed in that quick interview that the fun she had on set with the cast of Beetlejuice 2 surpassed what she experienced on set of Wednesday. She also previously noted that she originally turned down Wednesday as she was looking to do more feature films and less series work, wanting to focus on movies more. It was soley the appeal of working with Burton that made her sign onto the project. Now, having done a show and movie with the prolific Nightmare Before Christmas director, it seems her favoritism with movies still remains in tact,
Beetlejuice achieved a global box office gross exceeding $73 million in 1988, surpassing its budget of around $15 million. Although it didn’t experience blockbuster success upon its initial release, the film has maintained enduring popularity, solidifying its status as a cherished classic, especially during Halloween, which will make the September 6 release of the sequel perfect in terms of timing, launching just as Halloween begins to brew in the minds of those who celebrate, all while beating Halloween horror movie releases to the box office.
Speaking of horror, Wednesday season two, which will begin filming this April in Ireland is also said to take a darker turn, with many more horror elements. To Jenna’s liking, each episode is said to feel more like a movie than an episode, which makes sense that that change has taken effect during the season in which Ortega became producer on the show.
Are you more excited for Beetlejuice 2 or Wednesday season two?