Don’t break out the black-and-white striped suit just yet. Tim Burton says Beetlejuice 2 isn’t happening.
The internet was a flutter earlier today when reports surfaced that a long-gestating sequel to the 1988 flick was given the green light. Now, quicker than you can say, “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice,”; the project has been confirmed as a no-go by Burton himself.
The rumour mill starting swirling last year when Winona Ryder, who played goth teen Lydia Deets, appeared on “Late Night With Seth Myers”; and alluded to an interview Burton gave on the project.
“It was very hush-hush top secret … but then (Tim Burton) was doing some press for “Big Eyes’ and he did an on-camera interview and he said, “Oh yeah, we’re doing it, and Winona’s going to be in it.’ … If he said it, I can say it.” Over the years, both Ryder and Michael Keaton have expressed their interest in returning to their roles.
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Burton has contributed to the rumours over the years.
When speaking on a 2014 press tour, the director told media outlets: “There’s only one Beetlejuice, and that’s Michael. There is a script, and I would love to work with him again. I think there is now a better chance than ever… I miss that character.”; He continued, “There’s something that’s cathartic and amazing about it. I think it’s closer than ever.” At no time did the director confirm that the film was in active development or that there were concrete plans to move forward on the project.
The latest rumours have been attributed to fabricated comments from a source that claimed the script had been green-lit by Warner Bros. and that Winona Ryder and the “Juice himself, Michael Keaton, had returned.
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A rep for Burton responded to today’s “Beetlejuice 2″ news with a statement declaring that the director did not confirm the sequel was happening and that the movie is “not in development.”;
If Beetlejuice is going to make an eventual return to the big screen, we’re going to be waiting for a while. Burton is busy putting the finishing touches on his next film, “Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children,”; due in late September. After that, he’ll turn his attention to Disney’s live-action update of “Dumbo,”; scheduled for 2017.