Beetlejuice 2 might turn out to be Winona Ryder’s ideal thematic follow-up project after Stranger Things season 5 ends.
Brad Pitt’s production firm, Plan B, has officially entered the early stages of development for the 1988 film Beetlejuice after more than 30 years of rumors. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis played the recently deceased Maitland couple in the original Beetlejuice, and Michael Keaton played the titular poltergeist. Up-and-coming actress Winona Ryder played goth girl Lydia Deetz.
Winona Ryder has as Joyce Byers in the smash horror sci-fi drama series Stranger Things on Netflix since 2016. The character has garnered the actress considerable praise. The setting of Stranger Things in the middle of the 1980s has definitively taken Ryder back to her roots in terms of the period being portrayed and the essential horror genre, raising expectations for similar roles in the future. After serving as a major character on the program for several seasons, Stranger Things will end after season 5, which is anticipated to air around 2024. After Stranger Things, Ryder doesn’t currently have any projects planned, although Beetlejuice 2’s ongoing production may change that.
Although Beetlejuice 2’s script, plot, or casting have not yet been revealed, it is widely believed that Ryder and Keaton will make a return. After being cast in Stranger Things, Winona Ryder’s career had a tremendous upswing, with the actress’s fame serving as one of the show’s biggest early draws. In fact, Ryder’s rise to popularity for her parts in the 1980s cult hits Beetlejuice and Heathers is probably the main reason why the show’s idea, which is nostalgic for the ’80s pop culture, chose to cast her in it. As a result, Ryder has already shown in Stranger Things that she can effortlessly relive the nostalgia of the time, with Beetlejuice 2 unavoidably benefiting greatly from the emotion for the 80s’.
The makers of Stranger Things, Matt and Ross Duffer, have mentioned that they didn’t want the timeline of their series to go past 1988 in order to prevent paradoxes with the teens watching Beetlejuice in theaters and thus encountering a lady who strikingly resembles a young Joyce Byers. While Ryder’s iconic portrayal in Stranger Things has to be avoided, Beetlejuice 2 will undoubtedly embrace her gothic 1988 persona in full. Both Joyce and Lydia are considered odd for either their acceptance of ghosts or their ability to communicate with the Upside Down, which is another area where they have some similarities.
Although Winona Ryder did not need any preparation for Beetlejuice 2, her cherished performance as Joyce in Stranger Things serves as the ideal prelude for fans who are eager for her return to humorous supernatural themes. If Beetlejuice 2 proceeds past the initial stages of development, it will be Ryder’s first sequel to a movie she originally created and her first time working with Tim Burton in over ten years; their most recent collaboration was 2012’s Frankenweenie. Michael Keaton has made a comeback to the 1980s when he played Batman in The Flash in 2023, so Beetlejuice 2 will be the ideal time for Winona Ryder and the rest of the cast to embrace the nostalgia of the time.