Venice Film Festival to open with Burton’s ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’

Tim Burton's sequel to his 1988 classic, "Beetlejuice", titled "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice", has been chosen as the opening film for the Venice International Film Festival. This world premiere will reunite original stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder with Burton for the first time in 36 years.

Festival Director Alberto Barbera praised the film, stating, "It marks the long-awaited return of one of the most iconic characters of Tim Burton's cinema, but also confirms the extraordinary visionary talent and masterly realisation of one of the most fascinating auteurs of his time."

Burton expressed his excitement, saying, "I'm very excited by this. It means a lot to me to have the world premiere of this film at the Venice film festival."

Set 36 years after the original, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" introduces Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Winona Ryder's character Lydia Deetz. Michael Keaton has returned as the mischievous "bio-exorcist" Beetlejuice, while Monica Bellucci joined the cast as his ex-wife Delores.

The screenplay was written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, with story credits also going to Seth Grahame-Smith. The sequel has been in development for many years, with early versions dating back to the late 1980s. One of Burton's initial scripts, "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian", even had the character participating in a surf contest.

The opening film slot at Venice is highly coveted, often leading to awards success for the chosen films. Recent examples include "La La Land" and "Birdman". In 2023, the Zendaya-led tennis drama "Challengers" was slated to open the festival but had to withdraw due to the Hollywood actors' strike.

The Venice Film Festival will run from August 28 to September 7.