By MICHAEL GINGOLD
Well, this was probably inevitable.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jenna Ortega is in talks to star in BEETLEJUICE 2, Tim Burton’s sequel to his 1988 breakout horror/comedy. Michael Keaton will return in the title role, with Ortega playing the daughter of Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz character from the original. The project is currently set to roll in London in late May or early June, though a budget has not yet been settled with Warner Bros., which is producing.
Ortega is, of course, already part of the Burton family, starring in the filmmaker’s Netflix series WEDNESDAY. “It’s been quite an insane experience,” she told the Reporter about working with the filmmaker. “I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunity to work with an iconic director who just so happens to be one of the sweetest directors I’ve worked with, and also the most detail-oriented.” The actor has become a rising genre star thanks to her roles in Ti West’s X, last year’s SCREAM and the just-opening SCREAM VI; she’s also a die-hard horror fan, and recently shared her very well-judged list of favorite scare flicks with IndieWire.