Date: 10th March 2023

Jenna Ortega In Talks To Join 'Beetlejuice' Sequel At Warner Bros.


Wednesday and Scream VI star Jenna Ortega is in talks to play a major role in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice sequel.

The news comes as Ortega hits theaters with Scream VI, which could land the top opening in the franchise's 25-plus year history.

If Beetlejuice 2 does cast Ortega, it will be only the latest impressive title to join the young star's filmography. Ortega is currently riding an incredible wave of acclaim between her roles as the lead on Netflix's Wednesday and one of the final girls in 2022's Scream.

Tim Burton, who helmed the 1988 film starring Michael Keaton, is expected to direct, with Keaton returning as well, according to sources. Production is eying a late May or early June shoot in London, but budget has not been set, resulting in a back and forth. If a deal is made, sources say Ortega would play the daughter of Lydia, the character played by Winona Ryder in the original.

The sequel has been in the works at Warner Bros. for some time before Brad Pitt's production company Plan B officially boarded it in February of last year. The original 'Beetlejuice' centres on Charles (Jeffrey Jones), Delia (Catherine O'Hara) and Lydia Deetz (Ryder), who inhabit a home previously occupied by the Maitlands (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis).

The Maitlands died in a car accident, but their ghost selves want to re-inhabit their former house, recruiting Beetlejuice (Keaton), a “bio-exorcist,” to scare away the Deetzes.

Source: Press Release