Michael Keaton Thinks Beetlejuice Sequel Ship Has Sailed

You know, if you say his name three times, he might just appear: Beetle juice, Beetlejuice…Beetlejuice! Did it work? Well, I guess not, but could the chant work sometime in the near the future? Well, in a recent interview with Variety, actor Michael Keaton doesn’t think his character’s revival is likely.

Speaking frankly, Keaton said it’s unlikely Beetlejuice will ever receive a sequel. “It’s possible that ship has sailed,” the actor explained.

He went on to say, “The only way to do it is to do it right. So much of it was improvised and so much was beautifully handmade by the artist that is Tim Burton. If you can’t get close to that, you leave it alone…There are certain movies that are like Indian burial grounds. You never ride over them. Bad s— happens if you cross that. You don’t touch certain things. They are sacred.”

Clearly, we can all think of those movies Keaton is referring to – of the films we shudder to think about and refuse to ever acknowledge as being canon. While there’s still a massive cult fandom dedicated to all things Beetlejuice, it seems like Keaton is wary of whether a sequel will add anything particularly meaningful to the franchise.

For right now, Keaton is focusing on his work with another major franchise: Spider-Man. The actor joined the cast of Spider-Man: Homecoming and is rumored to be playing one of the film’s central villains. Of course, Keaton is no stranger to comic book adaptations as the actor famously played Batman in Tim Burton’s adaptation. And, a couple years ago, Keaton was nominated for an Academy Award after he worked on Birdman where he played a washed-up actor known for having played a superhero on-screen.