'It’s so fun, it’s so great': Michael Keaton teases return in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice 2

30 years after its initial spooktacular debut, the ghost with a zest for jest, Beetlejuice, is making a haunting return. The much-anticipated "Beetlejuice 2" is wrapping the iconic Michael Keaton in that zany striped suit once again, with Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, and the master of macabre, director Tim Burton, bringing the eeriness alive.

Behind the Camera Magic

In a recent conversation during a press event for his film "A Haunting in Venice", the film's cinematographer, Haris Zambarloukos, provided some intriguing tidbits. Drawing parallels between Kenneth Branagh and Tim Burton, he mentioned, “Both Kenneth and Tim, in these two stories wanted to work, in-camera.” This means a throwback to the classic style where films were shot in sequence and edited simultaneously.

But it's not just about the method; it's about the message. Shedding light on the core of the film, Zambarloukos highlighted, “At its heart ‘Beetlejuice [2]’ is a story about a family.” The exploration of the journey, changes, and challenges faced by a family over three decades, but obviously, through the uniquely twisted lens of Tim Burton.

A Handmade Haunt

And what’s a Tim Burton film without a dash of the bizarre and the wonderful? From using Neal Scanlan's puppeteer expertise to building miniatures as Zambarloukos said, “On ‘Haunting in Venice’ we built a miniature house, a palazzo and did it to scale.” The magic seems to be palpably handcrafted.

This handmade magic vibe resonates with what Michael Keaton shared in an Empire magazine interview, “We’re doing it exactly like we did the first movie. There’s a woman in the great waiting room for the afterlife... tugging on the tail of a cat to make it move," he gleefully recalled.

Keaton's nostalgia and love for the original film and its creation process shine through in his words. He reminisced, “We both agreed, if it happens, it has to be done as close to the way we made it the first time. Making stuff up, making stuff happen, improvising and riffing, but literally handmade stuff..." It’s no wonder he claims this is the most fun he’s had in a long time!

Get ready to mark your calendars, folks! The Beetlejuice bell tolls again on Sept. 6, 2024. The intrigue, the nostalgia, and the sheer creative genius promise to make this a cinematic experience you won't want to miss.

(Several parts of the text in this article, including the title, were generated with the help of an AI tool.)