Beetlejuice Beetlejuice writers explain the importance of not having too much Beetlejuice in the sequel: "He's literally the antagonist"

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Exclusive: Alfred Gough and Miles Millar say less is more when it comes to Beetlejuice's appearance in the sequel

Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar say the key to writing the long-awaited sequel was cutting back on the Bio-Exorcist's screentime.

"I think that’s the trap that you could fall into," Gough tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features Agatha All Along on the cover and hits newsstands on September 4. "You want to make Beetlejuice the lead, and he's not. He's literally the antagonist, an agent of chaos, who comes into the story. The movie's called Beetlejuice, right? So, I think there is always that instinct to try to do that, but we very much tried to stay true to the original."

The sequel stars Jenna Ortega as Astrid, the daughter of Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder). When Astrid mistakenly gets taken to the underworld, Lydia calls upon her old 'pal' Beetlejuice for help and, you guessed it, chaos ensues. Tim Burton returns to direct the sequel from a screenplay by Wednesday writers Gough and Millar.

"Tim is very conscious of that too," Millar adds. "We just kept paring Beetlejuice back. He's a great character to write, but a little goes a long way. So, when he is on screen, he makes a lot more impact. It's really choosing the moments and really making those special."

Catherine O'Hara reprises her role as Delia Deetz, with Justin Theroux as Rory, Monica Bellucci as Beetlejuice's wife, and Willem Dafoe as ghost detective Wolf Jackson. Ahead of its theatrical release, the pic had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it received a three-minute standing ovation. Our very own Beetlejuice Beetlejuice review from there praised the "inventive and fun" sequel but also said that it wouldn't live long in memory.

"When you meet him, I guess you could say Beetlejuice is in a bit of a midlife crisis," says Gough. "He's settled into middle age and middle management for the afterlife. He's a guy trying to keep his bio-exorcist business going, but he's lost a little of his excitement and passion for it, but through the course of this movie he regains his anarchic self. Part of his life has gotten dreary, but he's never let go of his feelings for Lydia. She definitely made an impression."

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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice releases on September 6. Read more in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Agatha All Along on the cover and will be available from Wednesday, September 4. 

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Lauren Milici
Lauren Milici
Senior Entertainment Writer

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.