In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, iconic filmmaker Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride) revealed that his long-awaited live-action horror-comedy sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will incorporate old school stop-motion animated visual effects.
“It needed a back-to-basics, handmade quality. It reenergized why I love making movies,” Burton told the outlet.
Arriving 36 years after the original Beetlejuice movie, the second installment catches up with the Deetz family as they return to the haunted house that started it all:
After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.
The new film welcomes back stars Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz and Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz. Jenna Ortega, star of Burton’s breakout Netflix series Wednesday, joins the cast as Astrid Deetz, while Justin Theroux from The Leftovers portrays a new character named Rory. The cast also features Monica Bellucci (Spectre), Arthur Conti (House of the Dragon) and Willem Dafoe (Poor Things) as a B-movie action star turned Afterlife cop.
Burton directs from a screenplay by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar (Wednesday); story by Gough & Millar and Seth Grahame-Smith (The LEGO Batman Movie), based on characters created by Michael McDowell & Larry Wilson.
It was not revealed which studio is providing the stop-motion effects for the movie.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will possess theaters on September 6.
