Beetlejuice 3: The Unlikely History and Future of the Franchise

The Return of Beetlejuice

With Beetlejuice 2 already underway, one of the franchise’s original in-universe rules suggests that Beetlejuice 3 will be impossible to pass up. While it took 36 years for Beetlejuice 2 to finally happen after Tim Burton’s 1988 horror-comedy, the sequel actually coming to fruition wasn’t too surprising. Beetlejuice’s original ending left open the possibility of Michael Keaton’s titular ghost returning, with countless opportunities for him to keep wreaking havoc on the living and dead alike. The cult classic has also maintained a strong place in pop culture over the past 36 years, with a new generation being added to the focus of Beetlejuice 2 through Wednesday's Jenna Ortega, whose character provides an enticing future for Burton’s franchise.

Barbara and Adam Maitland (Geena Davis & Alec Baldwin) sitting in Juno's office with Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice in the middle

Burton's Beetlejuice 2 premieres on September 6, 2024, yet the franchise’s future prospects are already being discussed. Despite helming or producing several iconic movies with the potential for follow-ups, such as Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton has only directed two sequels across his entire filmography. Before Beetlejuice 2, the last sequel Burton directed was Batman Returns (1992), the acclaimed successor to his 1989 Batman movie. However, despite how selective Burton has been about making even one sequel to his movies, it seems Beetlejuice 3 will be too tempting to avoid. Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O'Hara will reprise their original roles in Beetlejuice 2. Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe have joined the sequel as Lydia's daughter and an afterlife detective, respectively.

This collage shows Delia, Beetlejuice, and Jenna Ortega's unnamed character which all have a green overlay with a purple outline in Beetlejuice.

The Power of Three in Beetlejuice

Among the most important features of the original Beetlejuice movie is its “Rule of Three.” Throughout the film, it becomes apparent that most elements of the afterlife are associated with the number three, such as ghosts only getting three appointments with a caseworker, needing to knock three times to enter the Neitherworld, the Maitlands being in the waiting room for three months, and, most memorably, needing to say “Beetlejuice” three times to summon or expel the titular character. Even one cut line from an early Beetlejuice script reveals, “Rule Number Three. Everything comes in threes” (via Script Slug). With three being such a powerful number in the franchise, it makes it difficult to ignore the long set-up for Beetlejuice 3. Furthermore, from a marketing perspective, using “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” for a third movie’s title would be hard to pass up for Warner Bros. While Tim Burton making Beetlejuice 3 would seem unlikely given his history with sequels and franchises, such as Burton not wanting The Nightmare Before Christmas 2 despite the original’s lasting success, an exception could be made given its perfect trilogy formula. Should Beetlejuice 2 become the box office hit that it’s expected to be in 2024, the push to develop Beetlejuice 3 is bound to grow even stronger.

Beetlejuice's Rule Of Three Makes Beetlejuice 3 Way More Likely

The Unlikely History and Future of Beetlejuice 3

If Tim Burton were to direct Beetlejuice 3, the follow-up would make history as the filmmaker’s first trilogy. Burton has never directed three movies in a series, though he came close to helming more DC-related films after his unmade Catwoman spinoff and Superman Lives movies. With Beetlejuice arguably being the movie that launched Burton into the mainstream as a highly talented gothic horror-comedy filmmaker, it would be an unexpected move to see him turn it into a full-fledged movie franchise over 36 years later. Furthermore, while Beetlejuice 3 seems inevitable due to the iconic “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” line and the franchise’s own Rule of Three, just because it can happen doesn’t mean it should. Burton has seemingly only returned to Beetlejuice's characters because enough time has passed to warrant a follow-up with a compelling story, so he’s not likely to make Beetlejuice 3 simply because a clever title or in-universe rule makes it more tempting. Rather, unless Beetlejuice 3 has a captivating reason to continue Beetlejuice and the Deetzes' tales, it may be best to conclude the franchise with the highly-anticipated story of Beetlejuice 2.

Beetlejuice 3 Happening Would Make Unlikely History For Tim Burton