Jenna Ortega Sees a Role in Tim Burton’s ‘Beetlejuice 2’ Variety has confirmed.
Ortega, best known for her role as Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s recent reboot series ‘Wednesday,’ is in talks to play the daughter of Lydia Deetz, played by Winona Ryder in the original movie. This is her second time working with Burton, who served as an executive producer on “Wednesday” and directed four of the eight episodes. Michael Keaton will also reprise his role as the title character.
Representatives from Warner Bros. and Ortega did not immediately respond Variety‘s request for comment.
The sequel has been in the works for a while at Warner Bros. before Brad Pitt’s production company Plan B officially embarked on it last February. The original “Beetlejuice” revolves around Charles (Jeffrey Jones), Delia (Catherine O’Hara), and Lydia Deetz (Ryder), who live in a house formerly occupied by the Maitlands (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis). The Maitlands are killed in a car accident, but their ghost self wants to re-inhabit their former home and recruits Beetlejuice (Keaton), a “bio-exorcist,” to drive the Deetzes away.
“Beetlejuice” received critical acclaim and grossed $74 million in North America on a $15 million budget. VarietyThe 1987 review praised Keaton’s performance, saying “Keaton emerges from his grave to liven things up when the antics pitting the good spirits against the invaders become a hackneyed game of cat and mouse.”
Talks of a sequel surfaced in 2013, when Keaton confirmed that he and Burton were talking about a sequel. Burton said in 2014 that he missed Beetlejuice’s character, saying, “There’s only one Beetlejuice, and that’s Michael. There’s a script and I’d love to work with him again. I think there’s more opportunity now than ever… I miss that character. There is something cathartic and amazing about it. I think it’s closer than ever.” Ryder reaffirmed that the film was in the works during a “Late Night With Seth Meyers” performance in 2015.
The Hot Mic podcast was the first to report the news of her casting.
Ortega is represented by CAA, Gilbertson Entertainment and Jackoway Austen.