It might be a little bit divisive but Tim Burton will be releasing his long-awaited sequel to the 1988 hit film Beetlejuice. Some fans have expressed their glee at the notion of Burton finally releasing a sequel to his original classic film, while others have moaned and groaned at the notion of a sequel claiming that Hollywood relies too heavily on their old tricks and not taking too many risks.
Luckily, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara will all be returning from the original movie with Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe coming in as newcomers in Burton’s next macabre film. However, it seems that even with such a star-studded cast, this latest Burton picture may flop even after all of the hype that it has gotten from fans and I certainly would not be that surprised.
Production was stalled because of the strike
This may not be the movie’s fault but both the writers and SAG-AFTRA strike did not help any aspect of production for Tim Burton‘s latest project. It really put a damper on the production side of content being produced, pitched, and written. It really put Hollywood in a bit of a mess with the people who support the industry itself.
Moreover, with the SAG-AFTRA strike, it is going to be hard-pressed for studios to have actors promote their own films, as a similar occurrence has happened with Blue Beetle and that movie became the lowest-grossing film in the DCEU, but that’s a story for another time. It wouldn’t be that surprising if Beetlejuice 2 faced the same fate even with Michael Keaton returning.
Not Enough Lore Behind Beetlejuice
What isn’t a surprise to anyone is the fact that there is not a lot of lore and history behind the movie that is Beetlejuice. Naturally, people only have but only so many ideas and different, practical directions that they could take the character in. The movie isn’t like The Lord of the Rings series where it has plenty of source material to pick from. The filmmakers will have to make it up as they go along.
That might be a little tricky given that fans and people in general know so little of the titular character. The beauty behind Beetlejuice was that he was mysterious and people knew so little of him. Hopefully, the filmmakers can pull a rabbit out of their hats and make something just as darkly magical as the original film.
A sequel would ruin the 1988 film
Much like the Star Wars sequels, a sequel to the classic film would ruin the uniqueness of the 1988 film and possibly tarnish its reputation. What filmmakers need to understand is that to make a sequel, there needs to be enough of a reason to justify said sequel’s existence. If there is no justification other than a paycheck for the studio, the movie may not perform well critically or financially.
A sequel to any film is supposed to add to the mystery and build upon the lore of the previous film. But it should have a strong enough story behind the characters that would allow for a noteworthy movie. Who knows? Maybe, these factors won’t have any effect on the performance of the film and it might be a success for both Tim Burton and Michael Keaton, but if not, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
