Tim Burton Says He “Was a Little Bit Lost” Before Returning to His Roots With ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’

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Tim Burton Says He “Was a Little Bit Lost” Before Returning to His Roots With ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’

As a long-time fan of Tim Burton and his quirky, dark, and imaginative films, I can’t help but feel like a kid at Christmas with the upcoming release of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” The anticipation has been building for years, and it seems that the master storyteller himself has returned to his roots.

Tim Burton is back, baby!

The renowned filmmaker known for cult classics was brimming with excitement at the 81st Venice Film Festival, marking the global debut of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”. This long-awaited and eagerly-anticipated sequel to Burton’s 1988 fantasy-horror-comedy is set to kick off the 2024 Venice Film Festival on a Wednesday evening. Burton expressed that making this film felt like a trip back to his roots, evoking the spontaneous and unbridled energy of the original production.

“For several years now, Burton has felt somewhat disenchanted with the film industry, and in a sense, he’s strayed from his path,” explained Burton. “However, I’ve come to understand that true success can only be achieved when one is passionate about it. In this case, I simply relished and cherished the process of creating this project.”

It’s only recently that Burton has chosen to revisit “Beetlejuice”, despite persistent fan calls for a sequel, as he admitted he never fully grasped why it became successful in the first place. For the sequel, titled “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”, he opted to rekindle the essence of the original film, bypassing the lengthy production and shooting procedures common in his more recent projects, instead adopting a quick, spontaneous improvisational method.

“Burton mentioned that we completed all tasks swiftly, work that typically spans months was done quickly,” said Burton. “There was a great deal of spontaneity involved. In fact, the ending wasn’t even scripted. We were experimenting and improvising throughout…It gave our new production an exciting, personal touch that everyone played a part in creating.”

After more than 30 years since his last visit, Tim Burton is set to revisit the warped universe of “Beetlejuice”. Fans seem optimistic that it will be worth the wait. The film’s opening at North American cinemas on September 6 is projected to earn up to $80 million according to some industry experts, while Warner Bros. estimates a more moderate range of $65-$75 million. Regardless, the movie is expected to generate substantial profits for the studio and Burton, who hasn’t produced a feature film since “Dumbo” in 2019.

At the Venice press conference, Burton was accompanied by a host of actors who had previously starred in Beetlejuice, such as Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, and Catherine O’Hara. Additionally, fresh faces to the franchise, including Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe, and Monica Bellucci, were present. Everyone was reprising their roles from the original film.

Even the special and practical effects were done quickly, giving the movie a homemade feel.

“Burton quipped that the movie isn’t likely to receive an Academy Award for its special effects, but he finds it unimportant,” acknowledged Burton, who confessed he didn’t take a second look at the original production prior to working on the follow-up.

In a twist of events, I, as a gamer, find myself stepping into the shoes of Lydia Deetz from the iconic movie “Beetlejuice.” Now, Lydia has grown up and is a TV psychic, but when her father passes away, she returns to her family home. My character’s daughter, Astrid, portrayed by Ortega, is skeptical about ghosts and the afterlife. Intriguingly, the first teaser trailer released in March brings back Michael Keaton as the mischievous Beetlejuice, ready to unleash chaos once more.

In this new installment, the director, Burton, followed a screenplay penned by the showrunners of “Wednesday”, specifically Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. However, it’s important to note that Seth Grahame-Smith contributed significantly to the movie’s narrative as well.

For a while now, he’s been contemplating the follow-up to “Beetlejuice,” but Burton revealed that working on “Wednesday” rekindled his enthusiasm and motivated him to get back to movie directing.

However, regardless of the response to “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” Burton advised that fans should not expect a sequel, “Beetlejuice 3,” anytime soon.

He mentioned, “Let’s calculate this out,” highlighting the fact that there was more than 30 years gap between the first and second movies. For the third one, he jokingly expressed, “I’d be over a century old by then. While modern medicine has come far, I seriously doubt it!”

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2024-08-28 13:24