Justin Theroux may be famous for running in sweatpants in The Leftovers, but now he’s heading into the Netherworld in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! The new Tim Burton movie brings back our favorite characters, with Michael Keaton returning as our favorite ghoul, so who is Theroux playing in the new mix?
In newly released images, which really show just how great Michael Keaton looks as Beetlejuice, we get to see the return of Catherine O’Hara as Delia and Winona Ryder as Lydia. In an image that shows them both all in black, standing in a line, we also get our first look at Jenna Ortega’s Astrid (Lydia’s daughter) and Theroux’s character, named Rory.
So Rory is it? While his name has been confirmed, we don’t know a single thing other than that, but we can make assumptions. He’s the exact same age as Ryder, so he wouldn’t make sense as a sibling for her, since he was nowhere to be seen in the first movie—unless they’re making him play younger for some reason. He is standing next to Lydia, so maybe this is an image from her father’s funeral and he’s being a supportive husband to his wife, Lydia Deets, and a lovingly father to his daughter, Astrid?
The end of Beetlejuice put Lydia in the care of Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin), with her father and stepmother not really being part of the picture. So, Lydia standing here with Delia is very fascinating. For Rory, he’s either just hanging around the family for some unknown reason or he might just be Lydia’s husband. At least his vibe is absolutely perfect for a story about the man we don’t want to name three times, right?
The energy of these pictures is perfect
Burton’s dark and twisted world is one that many people in my generation loved jumping into. Movies like Edward Scissorhands became my entire personality as a kid, but there is one that so many of us think back fondly on and it is Beetlejuice. I am a Michael Keaton girl first and foremost, but the tone and look of a story in the Netherworld is very specific and important when making these stories work.
Theroux’s look as Rory, standing next to Lydia Deets and her tiny bangs, looks like the makings of a perfect dark family, all maybe mourning together. Whatever this movie has in store for us, especially with Rory as a character, I’m just very excited. He’s back, baby!
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
