Everything to know about the cast of Beetlejuice and sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
In 1988, the world was introduced to Tim Burton's brainchild Beetlejuice.
Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton and Catherine O'Hara starred in the original film, which became a cult classic.
For years fans have been hoping for a sequel, and 36 years later it's finally happened.
Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton and Catherine O'Hara have reprised their roles for the spooky sequel.
They are joined by some other big names including Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe.
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about the cast from the original and the new film.
Jeffrey Jones: Beetlejuice
There's one star notably absent from the Beetlejuice 2024 sequel film...
Jeffrey Jones starred in the original as the Deetz family patriarch Charles, who is the father of Lydia (played by Winona Ryder) and husband to Delia (Catherine O'Hara).
The actor plays a key role in the original film but did not join his co-stars Ryder, O'Hara and Michael Keaton in the sequel three decades on, for one dark reason.
While he wasn't physically in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, director Tim Burton found a clever way to reprise Charles in the sequel without calling on the actor.
Read on to find out how Jones made a surprise appearance in the sequel and why he presumably didn't return for the film.
Jeffrey Jones: Beetlejuice
In the decades between the first and second Beetlejuice instalments, Jones landed himself in some serious legal trouble.
The '80s star, who became known for films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, pleaded pleaded no contest in 2003 after being charged with the possession of child pornography.
Jones was then sentenced to five years of probation, counseling, and had to register as a sex offender – for which he was arrested again in 2010 for failing to update.
Since his sentencing, the actor has stayed out of the limelight and largely stepped away from acting aside from a few roles.
Likely due to his criminal history, the actor was not brought back for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice but his character still had a key role in the sequel.
Jones' character Charles' fate is quickly established In the opening few scenes of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Warning: there are some serious spoilers ahead for the sequel!
In the first part of the movie, Catherine O'Hara's character calls her stepdaughter Lydia (Winona Ryder) to let her know Charles died at sea while heading off on a bird-watching trip.
To explain how Charles died, director Tim Burton cleverly uses an animated montage rather than the real actor.
After surviving a plane crash in the middle of the ocean, Charles eventually dies after getting his head and half his torso bitten off by a shark – which is exactly how he appears for his scenes in the afterlife.
Instead of bringing back Jones, a stand-in actor was used with an uncredited voice added in post-production of the movie.
"The way Charles dies in that animated piece is Tim's nightmare of dying," screenwriter Alfred Gough told Entertainment Weekly.
"He literally pitched that: 'My nightmare is, I'm in a plane crash, I survive the plane crash, I almost drown, and then a shark eats me,'" he continued.
"We were like, 'Well, that's genius. So that's going to be how he dies.'"
Winona Ryder: Beetlejuice
Winona Ryder was just 15 years old when she was cast in the cult classic horror comedy.
She starred as the death-obsessed gothic teenager Lydia Deetz, who befriends trickster and mischievous ghost Beetlejuice.
It was her third role in a movie and shot her to stardom.
In the film, Deetz, like Ryder, was just a teenager – but now, 36 years later, they're both all grown up.
Winona Ryder: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Ryder has reprised her role as Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
The character is now a full-blown adult and a mother, but she seems to get up to the same spooky mischief as her teenage self.
Of her return to the Beetlejuice world, Ryder shared that imagining Deetz as a grown woman was difficult at first.
"I think certainly, I never pictured Lydia either having children or in any type of relationship," Ryder told Slash Film.
"I just always thought she was just probably in her own world as she got older. Just sort of in the attic and happy, but alone."
Winona Ryder: Real life
Outside of her notable roles in Beetlejuice universe, Ryder is well known for several quirky roles, including in Heathers, Edward Scissorhands (another Tim Burton classic) and the 1994 Little Women film.
More recently, she has starred as Joyce Byers in popular series Stranger Things.
Off-screen, Ryder leads a relatively private life but she recently shared a glimpse with Harper's Bazaar.
Ryder shared that she has been very happy lately with her current boyfriend of 14 years.
She met Scott Mackinlay Hahn, founder of the sustainable organic cotton company Loomstate, in 2011, and they have kept much of their romance out of the spotlight.
"He's so great. He really is. I'm really lucky," Ryder said.
Michael Keaton: Beetlejuice
Michael Keaton was the face of the titular demon trickster in the original film in 1988.
It was a role that helped Keaton become a household name, but he almost passed it up.
In a recent interview with People, he admitted he didn't understand director Tim Burton's vision of the character and didn't think he could pull it off.
"I just said, 'I don't know what it is, and he'd probably be better off getting someone else because I don't get it'," Keaton explains.
"Not like, 'I don't get it. I thought it was bad.' I literally didn't know what it was."
Thankfully Keaton "really liked" Burton and decided to trust his vision with Beetlejuice.
Michael Keaton: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Keaton ended up loving the role so much more than he may have expected.
"The first Beetlejuice is one of if not the favourite film I have done," he told Who in a recent interview.
So much so, he's back 36 years later.
Keaton has reprised his role as the iconic spooky trickster in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
And while he loved the role, it wasn't as easy to step back into as he expected.
"I thought it would be easy, but it was actually a little more difficult than I anticipated. I felt kind of nervous to be back as a character I really do love, so it felt like a big deal to be back and to do it again," he said.
Michael Keaton: Real life
His role as Beetlejuice may have shot him to fame, but Keaton has plenty of other notable roles outside of the goth film.
He, of course, portrayed the iconic Batman in Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992) and more recently in The Flash (2023), and starred in the acclaimed Spotlight and Birdman, among many other films.
The Hollywood legend has has been credited in all these roles as Michael Keaton, but it turns out that's not his real name.
His birth name is in fact Michael Douglas but when he started his acting career that name was already in use and since the Screen Actor's Guild prohibits double ups, he opted for the name Michael Keaton.
In a recent interview with People, the actor revealed that after decades in the industry he intends to go back to using it.
