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Movies & TV

10th Mar 2023

Jenna Ortega in talks to star in new Beetlejuice sequel

JOE

By Jack Peat

The long-awaited follow-up to Tim Burton’s 1988 classic is said to be ‘finally a go’.

Jenna Ortega has been tipped to star in the eagerly anticipated follow-up to Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice.

The Wednesday star is reportedly being considered to play the daughter of Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz in the sequel.

Film reporter Jeff Sneider first leaked the news, which was subsequently backed up by sources from The Hollywood Reporter.

Sneider said the long-awaited follow-up to Tim Burton’s 1988 classic movie is ‘finally a go’ and that Burton will reunite some of the film’s original cast members for what promises to be a blockbuster.

Among them, Ryder will return as the original goth girl Lydia, Michael Keaton will reprise his role as the bio-exorcist Betelgeuse and Catherine O’Hara will be back as Lydia’s stepmother Delia Deetz.

Ortega is currently Hollywood’s favourite goth girl thanks to her role in Netflix’s smash hit series Wednesday, which is executive produced by Burton, who directed part of the show’s first season.

The 20-year-old actor has also appeared in You, another hit Netflix show, as well as the movies X, Scream (2022) and the now in cinemas Scream VI.

Deadline reported last October that when Burton was asked about the possibility of Beetlejuice 2, the director responded “nothing is out of the question”.

“I only know if I’m making a film when I’m actually on the set shooting. I try to go back to the root of everything. It springs from a seed and then it grows, rather than out of these statements.

“I am working on ideas and things but it’s all very early days. We’ll set how it goes. How’s that for a non-answer?”

Meanwhile, when promoting Stranger Things’ fourth season, Ryder told USA Today that she hoped to reprise her Beetlejuice role.

She told the outlet: “I’m definitely excited and I’m really hopeful that it’ll happen. The only way we would do it is if everything was perfect and we had all the people – obviously Michael [Keaton] and obviously Tim [Burton].”

You can check out JOE’s interview with Ortega for Scream VI right here:

This article originally appeared on JOE UK

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