Tim Burton closes “Beetlejuice 3”: “I doubt it”

Tim Burton needed 36 years to complete the second part of his Beetlejuice franchise, and the director believes it could be several decades before a third installment comes out.

The cast and crew of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice arrived in London's Leicester Square on Thursday night, fresh off the plane from the 81st Venice Film Festival, to kick off the UK premiere of the latest spooky Burton-style project, with returning stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara in attendance.

Jenna Ortega, who plays the role of Astrid, Ryder's daughter, in the blockbuster, also walked the black and white striped carpet alongside new actors Justin Theroux and Monica Bellucci.

When Burton was asked about the possibility of – dare I say it? – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Film, the 66-year-old master of the horror genre, was not exactly optimistic. “Well, if [the same] If this period continues, I will be about 100. So maybe. I doubt it,” he says The Hollywood Reporter.

It is a sequel that Burton, the classic like Edward Scissorhands, The Corpse Bride And Alice in Wonderlanddescribed it as very personal for him. Why was 2024 the right year for a sequel to the cult horror comedy hit after almost four decades? “Well, because the character Lydia [Ryder] interested me,” Burton replies. “As you get older, you start to think about what happens in life. [She] starts out as a cool teenager. Relationships… Do you have kids? What are they like? What do you like? How do you change? These are all things that I know and experience. That's why it felt more right to do this now than it did back in, say, 1989.”

Ortega has become a kind of scream queen in recent years – in the truest sense of the word. With appearances in the Scream Franchise and Netflix' Wednesday (of which Burton directed four episodes), the young actress has established herself as a reliable option for horror professionals like Burton. When it came to Beetlejuice 2For Ortega, it was child's play. When Burton knocks on the door, you answer.

“Definitely. I mean, I was surprised that he asked me about Wednesday”, recalls Ortega THR“I was surprised that he asked me about Beetlejuice. Working with him is a dream.” And the ghosts, ghouls and demons of a Tim Burton set are a much more relaxed environment than you could imagine, she adds. “It's the best. It's so safe, it's so collaborative, it's so welcoming and everyone keeps outdoing themselves. It's very playful and it doesn't feel like work, you don't want to leave. Play [Ryder’s] Daughter is probably one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. She's just an absolute legend and one of the most loving people.”

Willem Dafoe had never worked with Burton before this film – and to say that curiosity got the better of him would be an understatement. “It was a big incentive,” says Dafoe. “I mean, I've been following him for years and I really like his films. He brought a lot to the film, so when he asked me to do something, even if I didn't know exactly what it would be, I was happy to say yes.”

Dafoe plays a ghost cop in this film, “but before I died, I was a B-list movie star.” The actor enjoyed poking fun at himself. “You know, the narcissism of actors, things like that, I [could] play in it.” He has a face-changing look in this film, reminiscent of his prosthetics for The poor: “People want to confuse me, I guess,” he says of the pattern of his face often being ruined for roles. “It took a while [to get the makeup on] because every piece is painted. And that's another charm of the film, all the low-tech effects. It's really handmade stuff. It's really artigianaleit's not the stuff that is made in the post [production]. It's fun because it has a kind of playful, silly aesthetic, but still stays true to the horror genre.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice received a standing ovation from the audience at its world premiere on Wednesday evening at this year's Venice Film Festival. The film is scheduled to be released in the US on September 6th.