It would seem a bit late for a sequel to Bettlejuice, but it appears the 1988 classic comedy may get on sequel after all these years, with Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg have signed up to write Beetlejuice 2.
Grahame-Smith – best known as the author of Price & Prejudice & Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – along with Katzenberg signed an overall two-year deal with Warner Bros, and it’s believed the Beetlejuice sequel will be their first project under the pact. Deadline reports that this will not be a remake, but will advance the storyline of the original Beetlejuice, but presumably in a way that won’t put off those who haven’t seen the first film. The writers’ deal sprang from the work that Seth Grahame-Smith performed on Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows, which is currently in production.
It isn’t known whether Tim Burton or star Michael Keaton will be involved in the Beetlejuice sequel, but last year another Beetlejuice cast member, Geena Davis, expressed interest in returning for a sequel (she might as well, as she doesn’t seem to be doing much else).
The original Beetlejuice saw a newly deceased couple hiring ‘bio-exorcist’ Beetlejuice to rid their house of its obnoxious new owners. While it was a great film, it’s difficult to see a sequel working, especially without a young Tim Burton behind the camera.