Michael Keaton calls ‘Beetlejuice 2’ “the most fucking fun”
As Michael Keaton prepares to don his role of Batman again for this year’s Flashpoint, he will also be reprising another familiar face from the world of Tim Burton. Set for release in late 2024, Keaton is excited for fans to see the long-awaited sequel to the macabre comedy Beetlejuice.
When talking about the tone of the movie, Keaton discussed his first meetings with Burton to bring the infamous supernatural character back to life, explaining to Empire, “[Burton] and I were talking about it years and years ago, never telling anybody. I said, ‘if it happens, first of all, we’ve both said we’re doing it many times. We both agreed, if it happens, it has to be done as close to the way we made it the first time”.
Just like how the first film benefited from different material made up on the spot, Keaton was enthused about being allowed to experiment in the sequel, continuing, “Making stuff up, making stuff happen, improvising and riffing, but literally handmade stuff like people creating things with their hands and building something. Fuckin’ great. It’s the most fun I’ve had working on a movie in I can’t tell you how long”.
Ever since his role in the first film, Keaton has spent the rest of his career with a myriad of different characters. Outside of heroes in Batman, Keaton has tested the limits of his acting in experimental films like Birdman, along with various dramatic roles like Spotlight and The Trial of the Chicago 7.
As for the latest film, Keaton did give a sneak peek of the style of effects that will be used in the film, saying, “Beetlejuice is the most fuckin’ fun you can have working. There’s a woman in the great waiting room for the afterlife literally with a fishing line – I want people to know this because I love it – tugging on the tail of a cat to make it move”.
Keaton isn’t alone in bringing the macabre tale back to life. Alongside fellow returning cast members like Winona Ryder, the supporting cast also includes the likes of Willem Dafoe and Jenna Ortega, who has recently come off work on the highly successful Netflix reimagining of Wednesday.
Aside from his work as the favourite of the Halloween season, Keaton will also be reprising his role as Batman in this year’s Flashpoint and is in production on the movie Goodrich alongside Mila Kunis. Beetlejuice 2 is set for release on September 6th, 2024.
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