Jenna Ortega, the breakout star of Tim Burton’s Netflix series Wednesday, is reportedly in talks to star in the sequel to Burton’s 1988 classic, Beetlejuice. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ortega is being considered to portray the daughter of Lydia Deetz, the iconic character played by Winona Ryder in the original film.
Although sources suggest that production on the sequel could begin as early as May or June this year, there has been no official confirmation from Warner Bros. or Ortega’s representatives regarding her possible casting.
While talks of a Beetlejuice sequel have persisted since the original film’s release, the project was scrapped to develop Burton’s 1992 Batman sequel, Batman Returns. Nevertheless, Burton and Michael Keaton continued to discuss the possibility of a sequel to Beetlejuice, with Keaton confirming in 2014 that he had been in talks with Burton about reprising his role. In 2017, Burton himself confirmed that the sequel was “closer than ever” to becoming a reality, and a script rewrite was completed by Mike Vukadinovich that same year.
Ortega has been making waves with her performances in recent projects, particularly her viral dance scene in Wednesday, which drew inspiration from goth icon Siouxsie Sioux. Her role in the upcoming Scream VI has also received praise from various outlets. While it remains to be seen how her involvement in Beetlejuice 2 will pan out, fans of the original film eagerly anticipate this long-awaited sequel. In the meantime, let’s hope there is an homage to the Harry Belafonte dance sequences in the original.
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