Skip to main content

Beetlejuice 2 Writer Reveals His Secret To A Successful Sequel

Oh Hollywood

Are you ready for a reanimation of Beetlejuice? Seth Grahame-Smith, writer of the box office disappointment Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, is already moving on to his next project: Beetlejuice 2. Hit the jump for some details about the upcoming sequel to the Tim Burton classic!

Recommended Videos

The original Beetlejuice relied heavily upon a motley crew of main characters thrown together in life and death, morbid hijinks, and the panache of a grotesquely charming Michael Keaton. Grahame-Smith notes that he would like to retain the multi-character dynamic of the film, relying upon the character of Beetlejuice as a sort of glue to hold the cast together:

But I think the magic ingredient is trying not to over do it. Not to make it some crazy, overblown big Beetlejuice Saves the World type of story. Frankly, Beetlejuice himself is only in the original movie for about a half hour. I think using him sparingly is key. And not trying to make it so modern, family friendly and broad but to cling to the things that made it a little dangerous.

And obviously we’re not remaking the movie or rebooting it. It would be a sequel, and however much time has passed between the two movies, that’s the amount of time that will have passed in the story.

Fans might be a bit concerned about Grahame-Smith heading up the script, especially after Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter pretty much tanked upon release. However, the notion of sticking to the original set-up does seem promising — Michael Keaton didn’t make Beetlejuice a success so much as the winning combination of hilarity and horror, in addition to a star-studded cast featuring particularly excellent performances from Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder.

What do you think? Is Beetlejuice 2 on the path to greatness? Or is Grahame-Smith’s latest script-writing effort a death sentence for this comedy-horror classic?

(via Blastr.)

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

Filed Under:

Follow The Mary Sue: