Jenna Ortega ‘would never’ do ‘Beetlejuice 3’ without Tim Burton

Jenna Ortega and Tim Burton haven’t heard the Beetlejuice 3 rumors.

The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice actress and director say they weren’t even aware of a possible third installment in the hit fantasy franchise after Warner Bros. Pictures co-CEO Mike De Luca recently announced that another installment would go into development “imminently.”

“Really? Nobody told me,” Burton replied when asked about it in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “Maybe I’ve been replaced.”

Lightning struck twice when Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hit theaters, but could it strike again?

The Wednesday creator doesn’t seem to think so. “It took 35 years to make the second one, so by that time I’ll be 105,” he said. “I know those odds are not good.”

Burton continued, “I really, really enjoyed making this one, and [Warner Bros.] didn’t even really want to do it. We did it the same way I did the first one, with the actors doing improv. It was beautiful to see some of the old cast and have Jenna. But it’s like trying to recreate the Wednesday dance scene. I love the characters, but I don’t necessarily see it.”

Meanwhile, Ortega was quick to shut down the idea of collaborating with anyone other than Burton on a third film.

“Oh, I would never,” the Scream star told THR. “I also think anybody would be really wrong to get behind that project. Without him involved, what is it? It is what it is because of Tim. There’s no other film you can compare Beetlejuice to. So why would you do that? That would be a tad disrespectful.”

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If Burton were to take the helm of a third movie, however, Ortega had a pretty wild suggestion for one of its plot points.

“Maybe [my character] Astrid dies and goes to heaven instead [of the films’ Netherworld],” she suggested. “They should just take Baby Beetlejuice on tour and send him to Hawaii.”

Sure! Why not?

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice followed the original movie’s Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) in the decades after the events that introduced her to the titular ghoul (Michael Keaton). In the sequel Deetz hosts a paranormal talk show called Ghost House but has a very skeptical daughter, Astrid (Ortega). After they get entangled with Beetlejuice, misadventures through the Netherworld ensue. The film scored near-record September box office numbers last year with a $110 million debut.

Burton and Ortega are currently promoting the upcoming season of their Netflix hit Wednesday. The first part of season 2 hits the streamer on August 6, and Netflix just announced that the show has been renewed for a third season.