Earlier today, the new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice trailer dropped, and there was a lot to take in from the preview, including sandworms, tiny heads and much more. However, upon closer inspection, there’s another interesting tidbit to add to the list of things we know about the Beetlejuice sequel. It turns out that Danny DeVito will appear, meaning this upcoming 2024 movie is delivering another reunion between him, Michael Keaton and director Tim Burton, who all first worked together on 1992’s Batman Returns.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, about halfway through the Beetlejuice 2 trailer, there a brief snippet where there’s a custodian cleaning the floor of a basement packed with stuff, and electricity suddenly starts flying. If you pause at just the right time, you’ll see that this custodian is none other than a demonic/zombie-looking DeVito who’s listening to some tunes during this… shocking moment (I had to do it). See for yourself:
It’s hard to say right now if Danny DeVito’s role in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is simply a cameo of if this custodian will have a significant role in the movie, but either way, this now marks the fourth time he and Michael Keaton have appeared in the same movie, and third time those two and Tim Burton have all collaborated together. As mentioned earlier, the trio first came together for Batman Returns, which saw Keaton reprising Bruce Wayne and DeVito playing Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin. Then in 2019, Burton’s live-action reimagining of Disney’s Dumbo saw DeVito playing ringmaster Max Medici and Keaton playing antagonistic entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere. However, the first movie DeVito and Keaton did together was 1984’s Johnny Dangerously, which was directed by Amy Heckerling.
And, of course, we can’t forget that earlier this year at the Academy Awards, Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito did a Batman-related bit with the latter’s Twins costar Arnold Schwarzenegger, who played Mr. Freeze in 1997’s Batman & Robin. Ok, so it was George Clooney who played Batman in that movie, but seeing DeVito and Schwarzenegger call out an ascot-wearing Keaton was still pretty great. Now I’m just hoping that DeVito and Keaton actually share screen time in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice rather than appear separately.
As for the rest of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s cast, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara are also reprising their respective roles from the 1988 original, Ludia and Delia Deetz. The newcomers include Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz (Lydia’s daughter), Justin Theroux as Rory, Monica Belluci as Betelgeuse’s wife, Willem DaFoe as ghost detective Wolf Jackson and Burn Gorman as a reverend. If you’d like to take in the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice trailer again, we have you covered:
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice opens in theaters on September 6. It’s one of four upcoming horror movies to look forward to that month, the others being Speak No Evil, Saw XI and Never Let Go.