Warner Bros. Didn’t Bother to Call Tim Burton About Directing ‘Beetlejuice 3’

Beetlejuice, the story of a pale gothy teen who’s terrorized by a pale gothy adult, just might just be the Tim Burton-iest thing that Tim Burton ever Tim Burton-ed into the world. So would Warner Bros. really make another movie about the “Ghost with the Most” without him?

For a long time, there was no sequel to Burton’s original 1988 blockbuster, with the exception of the beloved animated series and the Universal Studios stage show in which Beetlejuice belted out KISS covers with the help of Frankenstein and the Wolf Man.

But last year, Burton reteamed with most members of theoriginal cast who weren’t convicted of horrific crimes for the sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. And it was a huge hit, making more than $450 million at the box office. 

Given the movie’s financial success, another Beetlejuice sequel seemed almost inevitable. Plus, the title certainly suggested that a third entry was part of the plan. Sure enough, earlier this year, Warner Bros. Pictures co-chairman/CEOs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy told Deadline that a follow-up to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was coming “imminently,” although De Luca clarified that “the ink might not be dry on the deals yet.”

Did they use invisible ink? Because this was all news to Tim Burton. 

The Hollywood Reporter recently asked Burton about De Luca’s statement, and the director claimed to know absolutely nothing about the studio’s plans. “Really? Nobody told me. Maybe I’ve been replaced,” he responded. 

“Maybe I’ve been, too,” Jenna Ortega, who played Astrid in the sequel, added. “They should just take Baby Beetlejuice on tour and send him to Hawaii,” she joked, referencing both the fanged infant from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and the notorious unproduced sequel script Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. 

“It took 35 years to make the second one, so by that time I’ll be 105,” Burton continued. “I know those odds are not good. I really, really enjoyed making this one, and (the studio) didn’t even really want to do it.” Warner Bros. reportedly forced Burton to significantly reduce Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s budget, unless he would agree to release it as a streaming exclusive on HBO Max.

It’s possible that Burton is just playing dumb in interviews while his deal for Beetlejuice 3 is still being worked out, but he also told the outlet that he doesn’t even know if making another sequel is a good idea. “It was beautiful to see some of the old cast and have Jenna,” he explained, “but it’s like trying to re-create the Wednesday dance scene. I love the characters, but I don’t necessarily see it.”

And Burton doesn’t want anyone else touching the franchise, either. “I feel very proprietary about everything I do, even if I don’t own the characters,” the filmmaker said, admitting that he even “got pissed” when they made Beetlejuice into a Broadway musical.

So presumably he’ll be enraged if Warner Bros. announces Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: A Film By Michael Bay.