With the sequel to Beetlejuice on the horizon, director Tim Burton shares his feelings about the first film and what it took to prepare for the second.
Beetlejuice isn’t exactly a cult classic, as it did quite well at the box office compared to its budget when it was released, but it’s definitely a movie that has a bit of a cult following. Apparently, that following is enough to make the sequel a hit, but at the Venice Film Festival (via Deadline), director Tim Burton didn’t quite seem to understand why it was so successful and has such a cult following. “As much as I loved it, I never understood why it worked,” Burton said of the original film.
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“I could never see this film as anything other than my own. So after all these years of working with Michael [Keaton]Winona [Ryder] and Catherine [O’Hara] Once again with Jenna to make it more personal and special [Ortega]Monica [Belluci]Justin [Theroux] and William [Dafoe] – New people are integrated into it. So it’s a very personal project for me.”
When looking back at a sequel to a film that was made 36 years ago, you’d think the starting point would be to re-watch the original, but it turns out Burton didn’t do that, as he didn’t set up the project as “a sequel made for a ton of money,” continuing, “It’s just a very personal film.”
Burton also spoke about the Netflix Wednesday series, which was produced in part by his production company, and how the show wasn’t necessarily the reason he decided to return to Beetlejuice, but it did give him some new energy.
“I’ve been disillusioned with the film industry for the last few years,” Burton said. “So I knew if I was going to do something, I had to do it from the heart. I had kind of lost myself, so this film was a reinvigoration for me. Getting back to doing something I love, working with people I love. This movie, it doesn’t matter how it turns out. I just loved making this movie with these people.”
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice opens internationally on September 4 and in the US on September 6 – and don’t forget, you can buy tickets through Roblox for some reason.
