Jenna Ortega in Talks to Star in ‘Beetlejuice 2’ as Winona Ryder’s Daughter
May 10, 2023 Update: Warner Bros
Photos: Warner Bros. Carl Ramsey/Stay Tuned
May 10, 2023 Update: Warner Bros. has announced that Beetlejuice 2 will be released in theaters on Sept. 6, 2024. Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice) and Winona Ryder (Lydia Deetz) are set to return and additional cast members include Wednesday star Jenna Ortega as the daughter of Ryder’s character, as well as Justin Theroux in a yet-to-be-revealed role. Production is expected to begin May 10 in London, Variety reported.
It looks like we will be seeing Jenna Ortega returning to the big screen again in the much-anticipated sequel to the iconic 1988 Beetlejuice. Just as she’s promoting Scream VI, which is currently experiencing the biggest theatrical opening in the franchise’s history, she’s reportedly in talks to star in Beetlejuice 2 as the daughter of Lydia Deetz, the iconic goth teen played by Winona Ryder in the original film. Warner Bros. is set to produce the film and Tim Burton, who worked extensively with Ortega as the director and executive producer of her hit Netflix show Wednesday, is expected to return to direct. Michael Keaton will reportedly reprise his iconic role as the titular character Beetlejuice, though no news about Ryder’s involvement has been confirmed yet. Ortega’s reps have not responded to reports to confirm her casting, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Starring big names like Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, and Catherine O’Hara, the original Beetlejuice followed a recently married couple who redecorate their country home, only to accidentally plunge their car into a river, die, then return as ghosts. When Lydia (Ryder) and her family move in, it gets complicated with ghosts and human living together but not exactly co-existing. Upon its release in 1988, the film was an instant success, earning an Oscar for Best Makeup and spawning a franchise with an animated series, video games, and a stage musical. A sequel has been on the table since 1990 with Burton going back and forth about his involvement and multiple scripts being written, but this is the first year that major development has been made on the film. If Ortega stars, it will be exciting to see her in a film that helped bring alternative, goth culture to the mainstream as she’s currently reinventing it for herself in her own way through her fashion choices and acting roles.
“It’s been quite an insane experience,” Ortega previously said about working with Burton, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunity to work with an iconic director who just so happens to be one of the sweetest directors I’ve worked with, and also the most detail-oriented.”
Ortega will next be seen in Paramount+’s Finestkind starring Tommy Lee Jones, Liongate’s Miller’s Girl with Martin Freeman, the rom-com Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall, which she will also executive produce, and the second season of Wednesday. She is also currently in talks to co-star in Alba with Camila Mendes (Riverdale, Do Revenge), where they will play sisters in an adaptation of the famous Spanish play The House of Bernarda Alba.
No release date has been announced yet but production is expected to start this summer in London. We’re excited to potentially see her featured in yet another iconic franchise.
