Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Sequel Plot Details Revealed

It's showtime! Warner Bros. Pictures on Thursday summoned Michael Keaton's ghost with the most a second time in the first trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel to Tim Burton's 1988 film. The teaser returned to old haunts in the town of Winter River, CT, including the bridge where Barbara and Adam Maitland (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) died in a wreck, and the attic where the ghost couple called on bio-exorcist Betelgeuse (Keaton) 36 years earlier. Footage also showed a funeral attended by the Deetzes — Delia (Catherine O'Hara), Lydia (Winona Ryder), and her daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega) — though the identity of the departed is unrevealed.

What has been revealed, however, are the first Beetlejuice 2 plot details. According to the official synopsis: "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."

Original stars Keaton, O'Hara, and Ryder are joined by new cast members Justin Theroux (The Leftovers), Monica Bellucci (The Matrix films), Arthur Conti (House of the Dragon) and Willem Dafoe (the Spider-Man films). Burton again directs from a script by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar (Wednesday), from a story by Gough & Millar and Seth Grahame-Smith (The LEGO Batman Movie), based on characters created by Michael McDowell & Larry Wilson.

Not only is the 'Juice loose, but the sleazy Grade-6 malevolent spirit is back with a backstory that Keaton teased will be "kind of a surprise for everyone."

"The great thing about playing Beetlejuice is, that clichéd thing, you never make the statement, 'Well, my character wouldn't do that.' He'd do anything, which was so tremendous to play," Keaton said recently on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. "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 rises from the grave and into theaters September 6, 2024.