The 'Pirates of Caribbean' actor is rumored to join the cast of the sequel to Tim Burton's 1988 movie alongside original stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder.
- May 28, 2022
AceShowbiz - Johnny Depp is rumored to be making his post-trial film comeback by starring in "Beetlejuice 2". Fans have flooded social media with the claim after they noticed the embattled actor's name seemed to appear on a call sheet found when they said they searched on Google for the "Beetlejuice" sequel.
Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder are also rumored to be reprising their roles from director Tim Burton's 1988 original alongside Depp. The rumors started making the rounds ahead of the jury in Depp's defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard being dismissed to deliberate on the feud.
The 1998 film revolved around a dead married couple, played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis who are resurrected as gormless ghosts who become hell-bent on haunting an irritating family out of their dream home.
Fans said they would be overjoyed to see Depp in the follow up, especially after his gruelling days in court fighting to prove he is not a domestic abuser. One said on social media, "Thrilled to see Johnny Depp added to the cast of Beetlejuice 2." Another exclaimed, "I'm happy for Johnny!! Robert Downey Jr. wants Johnny for the next 'Sherlock Holmes'!"
Other film fans, however, cast doubt on the rumor, with one sceptic saying, "So you people did a Google search for 'Beetlejuice 2', saw his name pop up, and think that means he got cast in it? LMAO! I can see why you stand with him."
Ryder, who played goth Lydia Deetz in "Beetlejuice" and was engaged to Depp for three years from July 1990, has defended her ex-fiance Depp throughout his legal battles. She said her experience with the actor is "wildly different" than the allegations that Heard has made.
"I truly and honestly only know him as a really good man - an incredibly loving, extremely caring guy who was so very protective of me and the people that he loves, and I felt so very, very safe with him," Ryder said in court in July 2020. "I do not want to call anyone a liar but from my experience of Johnny, it is impossible to believe that such horrific allegations are true. I find it extremely upsetting, knowing him as I do."
Ryder, who also starred alongside Depp in "Edward Scissorhands", has said she is "hopeful" that "Beetlejuice 2" will go ahead. She confirmed on Tuesday, May 24 in an interview with USA Today she would be appearing in the cast by declaring, "I'm in! I'm definitely excited and I'm really hopeful that it'll happen."
"The only way we would do it is if everything was perfect and we had all the people - obviously Michael and obviously Tim," the 50-year-old actress added.
"Beetlejuice 2" would again reunite Depp with his long-standing collaborator director Tim Burton, who has cast Depp in eight of his films including "Ed Wood" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". It is slated for release in the summer of 2025.
