Venice Film Festival Launches with Tim Burton’s ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel

The 81st Venice Film Festival is set to kick off with a bang, as Tim Burton’s highly anticipated sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” will make its world premiere on August 28.

The star-studded cast, including Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, and Monica Bellucci, will grace the red carpet at the Sala Grande. This marks a triumphant return to the festival’s signature glamour, following a slightly subdued event last year due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Warner Bros. will release the film internationally on September 4, with a domestic release following on September 6. Venice Film Festival chief Alberto Barbera praised Burton’s “extraordinary visionary talent” and the film’s “surprising swing of creative imagination.”

Burton expressed his excitement to premiere the film at Venice, a festival that has honored him with a Career Achievement Golden Lion in 2007.

The sequel to the 1988 classic follows three generations of the Deetz family as they face a new supernatural adventure, with Beetlejuice (Keaton) returning to wreak havoc once again. With a talented cast, including Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe, this film promises to be a wild and imaginative ride.

The Venice Film Festival will run from August 28 to September 7, with French star Isabelle Huppert presiding over the jury. Lifetime achievement awards will be bestowed upon Australian filmmaker Peter Weir and American actress Sigourney Weaver. The full lineup will be announced on July 23.