A long-awaited Beetlejuice sequel may finally be moving forward, Deadline reports. Writer/producer pair David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith have just signed a two-year first look contract with Warner Bros. and among their first projects is a follow-up to the 1988 film.
Directed by Tim Burton, the original starred Michael Keaton as the titular Beetlejuice, a “bio-exorcist” (a ghost who removes humans), who is unwittingly employed by a newly-deceased couple (played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) to frighten away the family that has just moved into their would-be home. Winona Ryder starred as the daughter of the family in her breakout role.
While the original film spawned a lesser-known animated series, a sequel was planned in the early ’90s with the title Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton had planned to return as director, but the project failed to develop beyond an initial screenplay. It is currently unknown whether or not Katzenberg and Grahame-Smith’s upcoming script will have any crossover with that original concept.
Grahame-Smith is one of the writers on Burton’s upcoming Dark Shadows and, while there’s no confirmation yet as to whether Burton (or Keaton) might be involved with the sequel, it is stated that the film is planned as a continuation of the original and not as a reboot.
