Willem Dafoe has joined the cast of Beetlejuice 2

Willem Dafoe has joined the cast of Beetlejuice 2.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Dafoe will play a law enforcement officer in the afterlife. He joins newcomers Monica Bellucci and Justin Theroux. Jenna Ortega will lead the cast as the daughter of Lydia Deetz, played by Winona Ryder. Michael Keaton is back as everyone's favorite poltergeist.

Beetlejuice hit theaters in 1988 and followed a recently deceased couple (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) who, after returning to the land of the living as ghosts, are unhappy with the new family moving in and decide to hire a so-called "bio-exorcist."

The sequel's script has been penned by Wednesday creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, with Tim Burton returning to direct. A sequel to the hit film has been in development hell since 1990, with Warner Bros. making an official announcement last year.

Dafoe reprised his terrifying role as the corrupt and despicable Norman Osborne aka the Green Goblin in the massive billion-dollar blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home. Dafoe can be seen next in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things. He is currently filming Robert Eggers' vampire thriller Nosferatu.

Beetlejuice 2 is set to hit theaters on September 6, 2024. This is the same day as Marvel's Blade is due to be released, but there's a possibility that the MCU project could be delayed after the WGA strike recently shut down pre-production. 

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