The long-awaited sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 hit “Beetlejuice” has been announced as the opening film of this year’s Venice Film Festival. The screening will be the world premiere and stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega, and Willem Dafoe.
The 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival kicks off on August 28th, and “Beetlejuice 2” will be released in theaters and IMAX on September 4th.
“Beetlejuice marks the long-awaited return of one of the most iconic characters of our time, but also the happy confirmation of the extraordinary visionary talent and the masterly realization of one of the most fascinating auteurs of his time,” Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice Film Festival, said in a statement. “The Festival is honored and proud to host the world premiere of a work that features a surprising swing of creative imagination and driving hallucinatory rhythm.”
The film is set 36 years after the first installment with three generations of the Deetz family returning home to Winter River after a family tragedy. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, a ‘bio-exorcist’, Lydia (played by Ryder) finds her life turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter Astrid (Ortega) accidentally opens a portal to the afterlife. It’s not long before Beetlejuice (with Keaton reprising his role) returns to the scene and unleashes mayhem on the world.
The screenplay was written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, with story credits going to Gough, Millar and Seth Grahame-Smith based on characters created by Michael McDowell and Larry Wilson. The creative team includes Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood, who previously worked on “Alice in Wonderland,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” and “Sleepy Hollow.”
There is fierce competition for the opening slot at the Venice Film Festival, having previously been given to big hit films like “La La Land” and “Birdman.”
“I’m very excited by this. It means a lot to me to have the world premiere of this film at the Venice Film Festival,” Burton said in a statement.
