Monica Bellucci Added to ‘Beetlejuice 2’

After spending many years in improvement limbo (extra on that beneath), the sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 supernatural comedy ‘Beetlejuice’ is at last in production, with Burton back calling the shots in the UK.

Cast-wise, Michael Keaton from the original is back as the title character alongside Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz and Catherine O’Hara as her stepmother.

New this time? ‘Scream’s Jenna Ortega (who starred for Burton within the current Netflix hit ‘Addams Family’ spin-off ‘Wednesday’) as Ryder’s daughter and extra not too long ago, Justin Theroux in an unknown position.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Monica Bellucci can also be becoming a member of the solid of ‘Beetlejuice 2,’ and is reportedly set as Betelgeuse’s (sure, that’s how it’s spelled) spouse. Otherwise, plot particulars are being saved in a mysterious desert otherworld roamed by sandworms.

Related Article: Jenna Ortega in Talks to Star in ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel With Tim Burton Directing

The story of the Beetlejuice sequel

1988’s ‘Beetlejuice’ noticed the spirits of a deceased couple (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) harassed by an insufferable household (Jeffrey Jones as Charles Deetz, O’Hara as Delia Deetz and Ryder as Charles’ daughter, together with varied assistants and hangers-on) that has moved into their residence and rent an oddball spirit (Keaton’s Betelgeuse) to drive them out.

But when Betelgeuse’s malicious chaos turns into an excessive amount of, the ghostly couple staff up with Lydia to try to cease him. Famously, he’s summoned by saying his identify 3 times.

Burton loved making ‘Beetlejuice’ sufficient that in 1990 employed Jonathan Gems to write down a sequel known as ‘Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian’, which might have seen the Deetz’ head to the island nation to open a resort, solely to construct on the burial floor of an historic Hawaiian Kahuna. The spirit comes again from the afterlife to trigger bother, and Betelgeuse’s providers are as soon as extra reluctantly required.

The concept languished in improvement for almost a decade, going via totally different scripts and potential writers (together with ‘Heathers’ Daniel Waters, who as a substitute went to work on ‘Batman Returns’ for Burton and Kevin Smith, who turned down the concept in favor of the equally doomed ‘Superman Lives’), earlier than ending its limbo standing in obvious failure round 1997.

Yet after years of official silence, Warner Bros. determined to attempt once more, hiring Seth Grahame-Smith to write down a script that might set the story in modern instances with Ryder and Burton again. But even that didn’t flip into something, regardless of Mike Vukadinovich re-writing the script.

Now, although, it’s formally again on, boasting a script from ‘Wednesday’ creators and Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.

We’re nearly stunned to see that Eva Green (who has labored twice with Burton already) didn’t snag the position, however we’re undoubtedly serious about no matter Bellucci does with the character.

‘Beetlejuice 2’, or no matter it finally ends up titled, must be in theaters on September sixth, 2024.

In different casting news, Dan Stevens goes from big monsters (he’s a part of the solid of ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’) to extra mysterious ones because the actor is becoming a member of the solid of an untitled new Universal creature function being guided by the Radio Silence staff behind the final couple of ‘Scream’ films.

Radio Silence, in case you neglect, consists of administrators Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett, plus producer Chad Villella amongst their quantity. This is one thing the trio has been eager to make since their first stab at Scream, however the success of that film led them to place it maintain to give attention to the sequel. Now, they’re shifting again to the monster film.

‘Scream’s Melissa Barrera is on board to star, with ‘Matilda The Musical’s Alisha Weir additionally within the solid. The script was written by Stephen Shields, with revisions by Guy Busick.

What is the brand new film about?

And much more than the ‘Beetlejuice’ sequel, the small print are being locked away in a coffin, although there was critical hypothesis that it could possibly be a model of ‘Dracula’s Daughter’, with the story revolving round a younger woman kidnapped by a gang, whose supernatural parentage causes actual issues for the criminals. Weir has been tipped because the daughter, with Barrera as one of many gang. Stevens’ position is really unknown proper now, however we might definitely see him as Dracula, had been that to be the case.

Again, nothing has been formally revealed, nevertheless it’ll be enjoyable to see what the Radio Silence gang does unleashed on one other venerable horror franchise. With luck, it’ll develop into as entertaining as ‘The Invisible Man’ or ‘Renfield’ (and Universal will likely be hoping for extra field workplace success than the latter).

As for Stevens, as talked about above, he’s simply completed reuniting with ‘The Guest’ director Adam Wingard for the newest entry in Warner Bros./Legendary’s “Monsterverse”, enjoying an unknown human within the film, which sees the large creatures dealing with off a brand new risk that has ties to the origins of all of the “titan” monsters which were stomping round within the movie sequence up to now (not less than, so far as anybody outdoors the manufacturing is aware of proper now).

Most not too long ago seen in final yr’s romantic comedy ‘Spin Me Round’ and heard as one of many characters in animated journey ‘The Sea Beast’ (clearly the person has a factor for creatures), Stevens may even crop up in horror film ‘Cuckoo’.

Radio Silence has definitely confirmed they know tips on how to create good horror films, and with the added paranormal/monstrous component, we’re additionally considering how a lot enjoyable their ‘Ready or Not’ turned out to be. This will likely be one to observe, however there’s no signal but of a launch date for this one.

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