‘I Didn’t Even Watch the First Movie to Get Ready’

Tim Burton shared insights during the Venice Film Festival press conference for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” emphasizing that he didn’t create the sequel for financial gain. Interestingly, he didn’t revisit the original film before starting the new one.

“It just became a very simple, emotional movie, like a weird family movie,” Burton said. “I wasn’t out to do a big sequel for money or anything like that, I wanted to make this for very personal reasons. Like I said, I didn’t watch the first movie to prepare for this. I remembered the spirit of it.”

In a recent interview, Burton revealed that he had become “disillusioned with the movie industry” and felt that his heart needed to be fully invested in any new project. “As you grow older, sometimes your life takes a bit of a turn and I sort of lost myself a bit. So, for me, this movie was a re-energizing, a kind of getting back to the things I love doing, the way I love doing it and with people I love doing it with.”

The prospect of a Beetlejuice sequel has been discussed for over three decades. Burton noted that the concept was “reenergized” while making his successful Netflix series “Wednesday,” where he first collaborated with Jenna Ortega. “Wednesday we were trying to shoot as a TV thing but on a movie schedule, which was kind of fun in a weird way, so I was thinking about that beforehand. But then meeting Jenna was obviously such an important thing for me.”

Asked about the possibility of another “Beetlejuice” installment, Burton humorously dismissed it. “Let’s do the math… it took 35 years to do this, so I’ll be over 100,” he said. “But I guess it’s possible with the advent of science these days, but I don’t think so.”

The highly anticipated sequel to Burton’s iconic 1988 film was chosen to open the Venice Film Festival. Returning cast members include Michael Keaton as the titular Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara. New additions to the cast feature Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, Justin Theroux, and Willem Dafoe. The storyline involves the Deetz family returning to their old home, with Ryder’s character’s rebellious daughter discovering the model of the town in the attic, thereby opening the portal to the afterlife and unleashing Keaton’s Betelgeuse once more.

Following its premiere at Venice, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is scheduled to haunt U.S. theaters starting September 6.

Source: Variety