Michael Keaton says he wanted Beetlejuice sequel to be ‘handmade’ adding it was ‘the most fun I’ve had on set in a long time’

Michael Keaton is opening up about his long-awaited sequel to his 1988 hit Beetlejuice, simply titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

The 72-year-old actor returns as the title charcter for the sequel that fans have been clammoring more than three decades for, which finally hits theaters September 6.

During a new interview (via People) for his dramatic thriller Knox Goes Away (which he stars in and directs), arriving in theaters March 15, Keaton revealed he had a blast on set.

‘It’s the most fun I’ve had on set in a long time. On one hand, you’d go, “Well, of course it’s the most fun. It looks like fun.” As you know, it doesn’t always work like that,’ Keaton said.

The original Beetlejuice was a box office hit, taking in $73.7 million (which when adjusted for inflation is $192.1 million in 2024 dollars) from just a $10 million budget, becoming the 10th highest-grossing movie of 1988.

The 72-year-old actor returns as the title charcter for the sequel that fans have been clammoring more than three decades for, which finally hits theaters September 6

Sill, despite its success and fervent fan following a sequel was slow to get off the ground over the years.

‘We thought, “gYou got to get this right. Otherwise, just don’t do it. Let’s just go on with our lives and do other things,”‘ Keaton explained. 

‘So I was hesitant and cautious, and he was probably equally as hesitant and cautious over all these years,’ Keaton added.

Keaton added that both he and director Tim Burton were both on the same page, when it came to the use of CGI and special effects.

‘The one thing that he and I decided on early, early, early on from the beginning, if we ever did it again, I was totally not interested in doing something where there was too much technology. It had to feel handmade,’ Keaton said.

‘What made it fun was watching somebody in the corner actually holding something up for you, to watch everybody in the shrunken head room and say, “Those are people under there, operating these things, trying to get it right,”‘ he continued.

While Keaton didn’t elaborate on the ‘shrunken head room,’ there was a scene in the original Beetlejuice where a witch doctor shrunk his own head.

He added, ‘It’s the most exciting thing. When you get to do that again after years of standing in front of a giant screen, pretending somebody’s across the way from you, this is just enormous fun.’

Sill, despite its success and fervent fan following a sequel was slow to get off the ground over the years

While Keaton didn’t elaborate on the ‘shrunken head room,’ there was a scene in the original Beetlejuice where a witch doctor shrunk his own head

Also returning from the original film is Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz, revealing she has a one-on-one scene with Douglas’ Beetlejuice

Also returning from the original film is Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz, revealing she has a one-on-one scene with Douglas’ Beetlejuice. 

While she appeared in a number of group shots with Keaton’s Beetlejuice, she didn’t get a one-on-one shot with him until this sequel.

‘I had a little two person moment with Michael as Beetlejuice. I’d been in the first movie in group scenes with Michael, but in this, I had an actual moment where the two of us just,’ she said. 

‘And it was just so crazy and thrilling, really to just be face-to-face with Beetlejuice. He looks the same. Beetlejuice has aged very well,’ she joked.