Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Tim Burton Explains How It Isn’t ‘a Big Sequel for Money’

After 36 years, Tim Burton returns to the Beetlejuice franchise to direct the legacy sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. On paper, the move feels like a cash grab. However, Burton stresses that the sequel is not financially driven.

What Did Tim Burton Say About Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?

During the Venice Film Festival press conference, Burton explained how, for him, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is not about money.

“I wasn’t out to do a big sequel for money or anything like that, I wanted to make this for very personal reasons,” Burton told reporters via Variety. “Like I said, I didn’t watch the first movie to prepare for this. I remembered the spirit of it and I remembered everybody here.”

Burton previously revealed that the future of Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz was one of the driving forces behind his decision to direct the Beetlejuice sequel.

“There was something emotional that made me want to do it. There was something about [that] character, and what happens to people 35 years later. That was the emotional hook to me,” Burton said. “What happens to people, once you get older? You go through different things. You have kids. It changes you. Now, I understand this stuff a bit better. I’ve been through it myself.”

Actors reprising their roles from Beetlejuice for the sequel include Ryder as Lydia Deetz, Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz, and Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse. The new additions of Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe round out the ensemble.

The official synopsis reads: “Three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River after an unexpected family tragedy. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life soon gets turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter discovers a mysterious portal to the afterlife. When someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times, the mischievous demon gleefully returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is directed by Burton, from a script written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The sequel will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 28, 2024.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice opened in theaters nationwide on September 6, 2024.