Winona Ryder Calls 'Beetlejuice' Sequel Interest 'Very Flattering'

CBR

By Brett White

Published Jun 14, 2016

While Ryder says it would be great if a sequel was made, she does not yet know if a follow-up to the 1988 comedy is in the cards.

For the past three years, rumors have swirled around "Beetlejuice 2," the potential sequel to the cult classic 1988 dark comedy. Stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder have talked about the chances of resurrecting the franchise, as has director Tim Burton. But no matter how "confirmed" the film sounds, it always gets knocked back to just being something the creators involved would like to do but don't know if it will ever happen.

In a recent chat with Collider, Winona Ryder offered up her current take on returning to "Beetlejuice."

“I don’t really know what’s going on with that," said Ryder. "Obviously, it was an iconic film. The only way it could really ever be done is with Tim [Burton] and Michael [Keaton]. I don’t know. There’s something that really resonates with all ages, with that film. It’s interesting. I think it would be great if it happened, if it was the right circumstances. Gosh, you know you’re getting older when they’re making TV shows, sequels or plays for things that you did. It’s very flattering and very humbling, indeed. I heard they were making another 'Little Women.' Mine was the fifth one, so that’s kudos to Louisa May Alcott. It’s just very flattering.”

A month ago, director Tim Burton also said that he'd be interested in a "Beetlejuice" sequel. “[T]he fact of it is I have talked to Michael and I have talked to Winona, I’ve talked to a few people," said Burton. "It’s something that I really would like to do in the right circumstances, but it’s one of those films where it has to be right. It’s not a kind of a movie that cries out [for a sequel]. It’s not the ‘Beetlejuice’ trilogy. So it’s something that if the elements are right — because I do love the character and Michael’s amazing as that character, so yeah we’ll see. But there’s nothing concrete yet.”

The 1988 film featured Keaton as the titular ghost tasked with scaring a family out of a home by any means necessary. Ryder starred as Lydia Deetz, the goth daughter of the haunted couple. The film grossed four times its budget, earning $73.7 million.