Justin Theroux gives Tim Burton credit for continuing his work as Tim Burton’s writer without interference from the studios.
Theroux, who stars in the long-awaited sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” said Full film that the film “was not created through audience polls and studio notes.” Simply put, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was not created by a committee.
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“This movie has some very big twists,” Theroux said, comparing the viewing experience to Willy Wonka’s psychedelic boat ride in 1971’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” (Note: Burton also gave his own version of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” with Johnny Depp in the role of Willy Wonka.)
“There’s the phantasmagoria and it feels slightly out of control and wacky. It has that vibe,” Theroux continued of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which will open the Venice Film Festival. “It’s clear that this movie wasn’t made by audience polls, studio notes and executives asking, ‘Well, which third act is the most satisfying?’ This is 100 percent like someone opening the front of Tim Burton’s head and dropping it on the screen. It’s a fabulous journey for that very reason.”
Theroux’s co-star Michael Keaton, who plays the titular ghoul, said the sequel has “a stronger story” than the original 1988 horror-comedy classic.
“There are things here that I wasn’t prepared for, but they’re beyond delightful,” Keaton said. “The audience has more of a connection with the other characters. (…) Instead of saying, ‘I can’t wait for that thing to show up,’ or ‘I just want that thing called Beetlejuice to go crazy.'”
Winona Ryder, who recently revealed that she met with Burton for decades to get the sequel greenlit, promised that the film would “exceed” fans’ expectations.
“I’m very confident that it will meet and exceed expectations. It certainly met mine and mine are way up there,” Ryder said. “I think literally every generation can find something in it that they will really appreciate.”
Ryder also told Vanity Fair that filming “Beetlejuice” alongside franchise newcomer Jenna Ortega was “kind of a religious experience.”
“Once we started talking, and I remember it was on our third day together, the day we shot the scene in the attic, we never stopped,” Ryder said of working with Ortega, who plays her on-screen daughter. “It felt almost holy, like some kind of blessing from above, which I think is because we share a belief that movies can be a kind of religious experience.”
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