What to know about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice as new trailer released

Someone must have said his name three times because everyone’s favourite bio-exorcist is returning to the big screen in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to Beetlejuice.

It’s been 36 years since Tim Burton’s second movie Beetlejuice first hit cinemas, with stand-up comedian-turned-actor Michael Keaton stealing scenes as the film’s titular ghost with the most.

In the intervening years, Keaton’s showstopping and highly-quotable performance has become one of his most beloved and well-remembered, which is saying a lot for the same guy who went on to deliver a truly iconic Batman.

A sequel to Burton’s movie — which also starred Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and a hauntingly-memorable use of Harry Belafonte’s earworm track Day-O — has been long-rumoured ever since, with many potential ideas kicking around with various writers attached.

However, after 2023’s CinemaCon appeared to confirm its existence, it’s now official: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has been conjured into the realm of the living. Here’s what we know about it so far.

When will Beetlejuice Beetlejuice be released?

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is coming to UK cinemas on Friday, 6 September. The movie’s title was revealed in February, teasing fans to say its star’s name just one more time to return him to the land of the living.

Filming took place in Hertfordshire and in the US state of Vermont between May and November 2023. To mark the film wrapping production, Burton shared an Instagram photo of him reclining in death’s waiting room — a scene first glimpsed in his original movie: “Just finished shooting Beetlejuice. Thank you to everyone involved,” he wrote.

Is there a trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?

The full trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice materialised itself into the land of the living in May and gave us a much more detailed look at the chaos that Burton and Keaton have in store.

Much like the first Beetlejuice movie, Beetlejuice isn’t actually in this new trailer all that much. Instead, we get to catch up with Ryder’s Lydia and her new daughter Astrid, played by Jenna Ortega. She’s the one responsible for unleashing the pin-striped bio-exorcist from the other side.

Watch the trailer below:

“The juice is loose!” The first teaser trailer for Burton’s long-awaited Beetlejuice sequel landed in March 2024 and while it didn't last long, it set the tone perfectly for a return to his dark and bizarre world.

It also gave us our first glimpse at Ortega’s character alongside a familiar face in a black and white suit...

Watch it below:

Who is in the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice cast?

Beetlejuice himself, Michael Keaton, is returning to the franchise as ghost with the most — and considering previous statements praising his partnership with Burton, it’s good too that the original director is also back.

Winona Ryder reprises her role as as Lydia, while O’Hara returns as her artist mother Delia. Her on-screen father Charles, played by Jeffrey Jones, is not scheduled to return. Elsewhere, the star of Burton’s most recent TV series project Wednesday, Jenna Ortega, plays Lydia’s daughter, Astrid.

American Psycho actor Justin Theroux plays a mysterious new character named Rory. Spectre star Monica Bellucci portrays Beetlejuice’s wife, while Willem Dafoe plays a “law enforcement officer in the afterlife”.

It is not yet known if other cast members from the original, like Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, will also be returning for the sequel.

The script was penned by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the creative minds behind Wednesday.

What happens in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?

Little is known about the plot of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice but we do know some key details.

The synopsis reads: “After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened.

“With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.”

During a chat with Empire, Keaton shared his excitement about the sequel and reassured fans that “we’re doing it exactly like we did the first movie.”

“Beetlejuice is the most f***in’ fun you can have working. It’s so fun, it’s so great. And you know what it is? We’re doing it exactly like we did the first movie,” he told the outlet.

Ortega said she hopes Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will help introduce younger viewers to “weird, strange off-putting stories.” She told Vanity Fair: “The weirder you get with it, the more people you can get to see it, I think will probably do a lot for film in general.”

During a chat with Entertainment Weekly, Burton let slip a few new details, revealing that it was a generational connection that piqued his interest in pursuing a sequel.

“I so identified with the Lydia character, but then you get to all these years later, and you take your own journey, going from cool teenager to lame adult, back and forth again,” says Burton. “That made it emotional, gave it a foundation. So that was the thing that really truly got me into it.”

As for Keaton's ghost with the most? “He just got back into it,” adds the director. “It was kind of scary for somebody who was maybe not that overly interested in doing it. It was such a beautiful thing for me to see all the cast, but he, sort of like demon possession, just went right back into it.”

What happens in the original Beetlejuice?

The 1988 original followed Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis), a young couple who move into a new house and proceed to quickly kick the bucket.

As if coming to terms with being dead wasn't bad enough, the duo are further distraught when they discover a new family has moved into their recently-purchased family home.

In order to help usher Delia (Catherine O’Hara), Charles (Jeffrey Jones) and Lydia (Ryder) out, Adam and Barbara call upon the help of infamous bio-exorcist and undead nuisance Beetlejuice — but their scheme doesn’t exactly go to plan.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will be released on Friday, 6 September.