In 1988, director Tim Burton (64) pulled off a brilliant trick. With the horror comedy “Beetlejuice”, which was released in cinemas on March 30, he made a decent profit. Despite budgeting just $15 million, the flick grossed $80 million at the box office. There was also an Oscar: In 1989, the Academy awarded “Beetlejuice” for “Best Make-up”. 35 years later, a sequel to the hit seems finally to come true. “Wednesday” shooting star Jenna Ortega (20) is said to be taking on the leading role in the planned “Beetlejuice 2”.
Ortega and Burton are no strangers. The two already worked together for Netflix’s “Wednesday” – the breakthrough of the 20-year-olds. “The Hollywood Reporter” reported in mid-March that Ortega was considering taking on the lead role in “Beetlejuice 2”. That would not only keep her true to the offbeat world of Burton. After “Wednesday” and “Scream” it would also remain in the horror genre for the time being.
Neither Ortega nor the production company Warner Bros. have commented on the casting rumors so far. According to insiders, however, she is said to be in talks for the role of Lydia Deetz’ (Winona Ryder, 51) daughter. Michael Keaton (71), who then mimed the eponymous spirit Beetlejuice, is also said to return to his legendary role. It is not known whether Geena Davis (67) and Alec Baldwin (64) will also return to the franchise.
In any case, “Beetlejuice 2” could be the next big coup for Jenna Ortega. The first film, like other works by Burton (especially “Edward Scissorhands”, “Batman” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) has a veritable cult following. And “Wednesday” has also achieved an incredible reach less than a year after the start of streaming. After the fourth season of “Stranger Things”, the “Addams Family” reboot was the most streamed English series on Netflix.
Barbara (Davis) and Adam Maitland (Baldwin) are newly married but die in a car accident. From then on they are locked up as ghosts in their house for 125 years – after all, the authorities for life after death have a lot to do, the waiting time is long. One day the Deetz family moves into the house and annoys the Maitlands to death. They seek the help of bio-exorcist Beetlejuice (Keaton). Barbara and Adam don’t like his cruel ways at all. Together with Lydia Deetz (Ryder) they try to get rid of the dissolute spirit.
According to press reports, Lydia Deetz and her daughter, played by Ortega, are the focus of the story. To what extent the new events tie in with the first part can only be guessed at the current time. Does Lydia still live in the Maitland house? Is Beetlejuice still as terrible as it was then? And who is summoning the dissolute spirit from the afterlife this time, will it be Ortega’s character?
In the late ’80s, Winona Ryder suddenly became a star. Her roles in “Edward Scissorhands” and “Beetlejuice” brought the then very young actress sudden success. At just 22, she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Age of Innocence in 1994. The following year, she bagged another Oscar nomination (“Betty and Her Sisters”). Ryder established himself from a shooting star to a versatile actress – a process that Ortega is also about to take?
When it comes to Gen-Z: definitely! In early 2023 she was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category “Best Series Lead Actress (Comedy and Musical)”. Wednesday Addams was her first major role. Instagram now has over 40 million followers. All designers want to work with the young actress. She dings from talk show to talk show and never misses an important event. Jenna Ortega is without question the star of the hour. And above all, her sympathetic and self-critical manner in interviews is reminiscent of the young Winona Ryder.
