Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Tim Burton’s sequel to his 1988 hit Beetlejuice, has been selected as the opening film of the Venice film festival. The screening will be the world premiere of the film, which reunites original stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder with Burton.

Festival director Alberto Barbera said in a statement that it “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 realisation of one of the most fascinating auteurs of his time”.

Burton said: “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.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice takes place 36 years after the events of the original movie, and features Wednesday’s Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Ryder’s character Lydia Deetz. Keaton returns as “bio-exorcist” Beetlejuice, with Monica Bellucci appearing as his ex-wife Delores.

Written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, with story credits going to Gough, Millar and Seth Grahame-Smith, the sequel has been long in the works, with versions in development as far back as the late 1980s. (One of Burton’s first scripts was Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, in which the title character enters a surf contest.)

The opening slot at Venice is particularly prized on the festival circuit, with a significant number in recent years – including La La Land and Birdman – going on to awards success. In 2023, the Zendaya tennis film Challengers was given the slot, only to drop out as a result of the Hollywood actors’ strike.

The Venice film festival starts on 28 August and runs until 7 September.