The cast of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice received a warm reception from the audience at the Venice Film Festival, where their upcoming movie was met with minutes-long standing ovations.
Stars Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice), Winona Ryder (Lydia), Jenna Ortega (Astrid), Catherine O’Hara (Delia Deetz), and others, along with director Tim Burton, were all beaming at the applause they received. The 66-year-old filmmaker is reviving the 1988 classic with a new storyline: “After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic, accidentally opening the portal to the Afterlife,” per IMDb’s description.
The cast made a striking appearance on the red carpet in Italy, with some channeling their Beetlejuice Beetlejuice characters. For instance, the 21-year-old Disney alum Jenna Ortega arrived in a red puffy dress, paying homage to the 52-year-old Stranger Things actress’ wardrobe from the first film, where Lydia is seen marrying the ghost himself. Winona embraced her character’s essence with a punk rock look featuring a puffy long skirt and a tailored suit top.
The sequel film has generated significant buzz, reminiscent of the acclaim Tim Burton received when the original film opened with $8 million at the box office in 1988. 36 years later, the director reflects on the impact the original film had on his career and his approach to its sequel.
Speaking with Variety, Burton shared, “To revisit it now was nice because Lydia was a character I always felt strongly about. What happens to people 35 years later? Where do they go? What’s their journey? And what happened to the Deetz family? This feeling about it was quite simple for me and emotional. That became the anchor of where it goes from there. When you go from being a cool teenager to an adult, what journey do you take?”
He added, “Working with all these people I love — Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, and Winona Ryder — was just very strange but beautiful.”
The second film will be released in theaters on Friday, September 6.