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"Wednesday" star Jenna Ortega has been tapped to play the daughter of Winona Ryder's goth teen Lydia Deetz in the sequel to the 1998 comedy classic "Beetlejuice" -- Ryder is also set to return alongside Michael Keaton in the titular role for the 2024 release.
After decades of hoping and dreaming, fans of Tim Burton's classic "Beetlejuice" comedy are finally getting their dreams come true, with Deadline reporting that filming begins May 10 on "Beetlejuice 2."
Along with a set release date of September 6, 2024, per Variety, the highly-anticipated sequel dropped some very exciting casting news. "Wednesday" star Jenna Ortega is going to keep dipping her toes into the macabre (unless they intentionally go against type) as the daughter of Winona Ryder's sullen, goth teen Lydia from the original film.
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View StoryRyder is also on board to return for the film where she will likely either team up with or square off against (or both) Michael Keaton again as the titular undead "ghost with the most" himself, Beetlejuice. Burton is back to direct. Justin Theroux has also been cast, though his role is not yet known.
Also unknown are potential returns for Lydia's on-screen parents, portrayed by Catherine O'Hara and Jeffrey Jones; or the inept ghosts that struggled to haunt the house her family moved into, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin.
The film marks a reunion for Burton and Ortega, who were both involved with the juggernaut smash hit "Wednesday" series. There's an even stronger "Wednesday" connection, too, as the show's creators, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, wrote the screenplay for "Beetlejuice 2."
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View StoryHugely popular when it first released 35 years ago, "Beetlejuice" spun off into countless merchandising arenas and even launched an animated series geared toward kids. The film's popularity led to Keaton and Burton reuniting for 1989's "Batman," which changed the face of superhero films.
More recently, a Tony-nominated musical adaptation of "Beetlejuice" launched on Broadway shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, before ultimately closing this past January. The production is currently on tour across the United States.
Spoilers for a 25 year old movie, but in the original film, Davis and Baldwin's ghostly characters ultimately hire Beetlejuice to scare Lydia's family out of their home. , but in the end, the family's decide to live together in harmony, while Beetlejuice is trapped in the afterlife waiting room after he tried to force Lydia to marry him.
"Beetlejuice 2" begins filming May 10 in London with an eye on a September 6, 2024 theatrical release, where it will compete against Marvel's "Blade" reboot starring Mahershala Ali.
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