It’s hard not to feel a little bad for Michael Keaton. After all, he was once the mighty man behind the Bat-cowl, as well as the lively idiosyncratic star of smart adult-friendly gems like “Clean and Sober,” “The Paper” and “Mr. Mom.” Has any other bright talent experienced as woeful a transition from the last century into this one as him? Elisabeth Shue maybe?
While undergoing a no-doubt punishing day of questioning at Disney’s “Toy Story 3” junket – where he was promoting his work as Ken doll – Moviehole found an opportunity to ask pointed questions regarding sequel opportunities for a certain two-decade old film from his resume.
Now, I’d imagine that you’re probably thinking to yourself: “Thank God, finally a chance to reunite “The Dream Team!” Well, minus Peter Boyle …” But, alas, ‘tis not the case. Nope, rather the spectre of another “Beetlejuice” adventure has once again reared its ugly, fright-wigged head, threatening to drag itself lock, stock and barrel into our current ’80s-nostalgia obsessed climate. Is a “Ghostbusters 3” not enough?!
Although the erstwhile Caped Crusader didn’t exactly confirm that such a film will ever happen, he did go so far as to declare: “Oh I’d do that in a heartbeat. Absolutely, that’s the one thing I’d love to do again. That’s the only one I’d love to do!”
According to the article, co-star Geena Davis shared his enthusiasm, declaring “I would do that!”
While I can’t say that Keaton’s statement surprises me – I mean, who wouldn’t want to trip the light fantastic back to the well after playing second-string to both Lindsay Lohan and a wacky VW Bug – I’m also far from optimistic that we’ll ever see him back in the ghoulie make-up (barring an awards show skit, obviously). Let’s face facts: the man is almost 60-years-old and not exactly the draw he once was. I don’t envision Warner Bros. deciding to press the launch button with him in the driver’s seat, especially when a reboot scenario is probably a better avenue for financial success.
This could all be sped up, though, if Tim Burton showed even the slightest interest in returning to the property, which thus far he hasn’t. These days he’s too busy reinventing classic Disney properties (“Alice in Wonderland” and the forthcoming “Maleficent”) and old TV shows (“The Addams Family” and “Dark Shadows”) to even think about resurrecting his past efforts. And, honestly, I really don’t yearn to see another filmmaker attempt to copy his unique style with this ill-advised sequel prospect. Brad Siberling’s Burton-aping act on “Lemony Snicket” was annoying enough, thank you very much.
No, I’d far rather see Keaton be given another shot at playing Ray Nicolette, his energetic ATF Agent character from “Jackie Brown” and “Out of Sight.” Ostensibly, the actor’s last great performance (“Desperate Measures” has its gaggle of defenders), I’d be great to see another quirky Elmore Leonard crime novel make its way to the screen with Keaton in the cast. Lord knows, there’s no shortage of source material and it would at least offer more chances for original storytelling than “Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian” (don’t laugh, that script allegedly exists!) or whatever.
How do you IJMers feel about Michael Keaton’s desire for another “Beetlejuice”? Are you for it or vehemently against it? Scramble over to our comments section or forum and let us know!
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Follow Cam Smith on Twitter at http://twitter.com/camspcepisodes.
would love to see another beetlejuice.
Cam,
I didn’t like Beetlejuice so I’m suggesting a Mr. Mom kind of sequel like Mr. Grandmom.