Following the massive success of Netflix’s Wednesday series, Jenna Ortega has officially found her next high-profile project with gothic filmmaker Tim Burton in the form of the upcoming Beetlejuice 2. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the rising young star is currently in negotiations for the leading role in the horror comedy sequel, with Michael Keaton expected to reprise his iconic titular role.
The outlet’s sources note that Ortega would reportedly be playing the daughter of Lydia, a character famously portrayed by Winona Ryder in the 1988 film. Warner Bros. is targeting a late May or early June production start.
Before reprising Wednesday Addams in the highly-anticipated second season of the coming-of-age Netflix comedy, the audience can now see Ortega in Paramount Pictures’ Scream VI which is currently playing in theaters. In the slasher sequel, the 20-year-old rising actress is reprising her role as Tara Carpenter, one of the teen survivors of the Woodsboro Legacy murders from the 2022 film.
Beetlejuice 2 will once again be directed by Tim Burton. This would mark Burton’s feature directorial comeback in four years after helming Disney’s live-action Dumbo. The project has been in development for more than three decades now, with Burton initially planning to set the sequel in Hawaii. Further details about the new plot for the project’s latest iteration are still being kept under wraps.
Beetlejuice starred Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherin O’Hara, Jeffrey Jones, Alec Baldwin, and Geena Davis. The film centered around a deceased married couple who called on the services of the obnoxious and mischievous poltergeist from the Netherworld to scare away the new residents of their former home. Since its debut, it earned both critical and commercial success with a box office gross of over $73 million. Due to its success and pop culture influence, it went on to spawn an animated series, video games, and a stage musical.
