It’s Showtime! Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Trailer Delivers First Look at Michael Keaton’s Franchise Return

Michael Keaton returns as the bio-exorcist Beetlegeuse, the name his gravestone proclaims, in the first trailer for the long-awaited sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. After years of rumors, the follow-up to the 1988 fantasy horror comedy is finally happening this September, and fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first look at the movie. You can check it out above.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice brings back Keaton in the titular role of the mischievous spook with a desire to escape his afterlife fate, and a knack for bringing a little mayhem wherever he goes. Along for the reunion are Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara, who reprise their roles as Lydia and Delia Deetz, respectively. The three franchise veterans will be joined by several other notable talents in Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, and Monica Bellucci. Tim Burton once again directs the picture, which promises to recapture the spirit of the original movie.

While details are still sketchy, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will delve more into the afterlife it briefly touched on in the first movie, while also giving Beetlejuice a wife and a more detailed backstory. This is something that Keaton recently teased while appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! He said:

“The great thing about playing Beetlejuice is, that cliched thing, you never make the statement, ‘Well my character wouldn’t do that.’ He’d do anything, which was so tremendous to play. However, in the second one, which I’m telling you is so good, Tim lays this idea on me. Admittedly, I kind of went, ‘Oh, okay. I don’t know, good luck with that.’ So, there is a kind of backstory, which is kind of a surprise for everyone.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Will Incorporate Plenty of Nostalgic Callbacks

As with any legacy sequel, fans will be expecting some knowing nods to the previous movie, and on that score, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is certainly not going to disappoint. As well as its returning cast members, the film will come with the same style of practical effects that worked so well in Burton’s original trip into the world of the dead.

Last year, cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos revealed that the sequel was definitely capturing the same tone and feel of the original film, mainly through the use of practical effects. “Yes, we certainly are shooting things in-camera and for real. That’s part of the charm,” he said at the time, confirming that much of what is seen on screen was right in front of the actors during filming.

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Additionally, O’Hara disclosed in a recent interview that one iconic part of the 1988 movie will be making a comeback in the sequel – the song Day-O (The Banana Boat Song), which appeared in the always memorable dining room dance sequence. Exactly how the song will be worked into the sequel is still to be seen, but we can expect plenty more callbacks like this in the final movie.