It’s showtime!
Tim Burton‘s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” will open the 81st annual Venice Film Festival, IndieWire has confirmed. The film will be screened out of competition on Wednesday, August 28 at the Sala Grande, marking its world premiere. Warner Bros. will release “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” in theaters September 6.
The full Venice lineup will be announced July 23.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” stars Michael Keaton as the titular ghoul who is summoned by the Deetz family once again. This time, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) and her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) realize that the portal to the afterlife has been accidentally opened. Catherine O’Hara returns, and is also joined by newcomers Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe.
The original “Beetlejuice” came out in 1988.
“‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ marks the long-awaited return of one of the most iconic characters of Tim Burton’s cinema, but also the happy confirmation of the extraordinary visionary talent and the masterly realization of one of the most fascinating auteurs of his time,” Venice chief Alberto Barbera said in a statement. “The Venice Biennale is honored and proud to host the world premiere of a work that features a surprising swing of creative imagination and driving hallucinatory rhythm.”
Burton added, “I’m very excited by this. It means a lot to me to have the world premiere of this film at the Venice Film Festival.”
Burton previously received a Career Achievement Golden Lion in 2007 and has debuted both “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Corpse Bride” at the festival.
The 2024 Venice Film Festival takes place from August 28 through September 7 with Isabelle Huppert acting as jury president. Huppert has not served on a Venice jury before, but she has won Venice’s Volpi Cup for Best Actress, twice, for 1988’s “Story of Women” and 1995’s “La Ceremonie.” The festival also awarded her a Special Lion for career achievements in 2005.
This year’s festival will honor Australian director Peter Weir, who has directed films such as “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” “The Year of Living Dangerously,” “Dead Poets Society,” “The Truman Show,” and “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.” Weir will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement after landing an honorary Oscar in advance of the 2023 Academy Awards.
Actress Sigourney Weaver, whose work spans “Alien” to “Avatar 2” to “Working Girl,” will also be honored with a Golden Lion.
