Someone Stole A Familiar Sculpture From The Set Of Beetlejuice 2
In our nostalgia-mad culture, there's a particular legacy sequel that we're not entirely unexcited about. "Beetlejuice 2" has basically been 35 years in the making, and as of early 2023, it looked set to be a worthy follow-up to Tim Burton's 1988 classic — especially since the director and star, Michael Keaton, were back onboard.
It also helped that Burton and Keaton were in agreement that the movie should be made in as close a way as possible to the first one, including shooting exteriors in the same small Vermont town of East Corinth. But perhaps the most important aspect for the duo was making use of practical effects, or as Keaton put it, "literally handmade stuff." Part of the charm of the original was Bo Welch's production design and the delightfully creepy practical effects employed throughout the film, and it seems we'll be getting a lot more of that when "Beetlejuice 2" finally arrives.
As it stands, exactly when that will happen remains an open question, as the film was one of the many productions shut down due when SAG-AFTRA went on strike after the studios refused to engage in good-faith contract negotiations. And unfortunately, two of those all-important practical props have now gone missing, apparently stolen from the East Corinth set during the production's down-time.
Never trust the living
According to the Vermont State Police, a "large lamppost topped with a distinctive pumpkin decoration" and a "150-pound abstract art statue" went missing from the "Beetlejuice 2" set between July 13 and July 17, 2023. In the case of the latter, the police posted two photos, confirming the statue in question either is, or closely resembles, one of the art pieces designed by Catherine O'Hara's Delia Deetz in the original "Beetlejuice." In that film, the artist's sculptures eventually come to life during Beetlejuice's wedding to Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), and it looks like they're back for the sequel — at least they were, before this one was stolen.
Meanwhile, in a dazzlingly unsubtle display of criminality, the lamppost prop was, according to VT State Police, loaded into "a pickup truck" and covered with a tarp, before the truck in question "fled at a high rate of speed." There's nothing to indicate that the theft will impact the film's production, but with everything shut down for the time being, there's not much else that could slow things down further.
Warner Bros. had reportedly scheduled "Beetlejuice 2" for a September 6, 2024 release, but that will likely shift now. Variety previously reported that principal photography on "Beetlejuice 2" was almost complete prior to the strike action, though there was still "one last sequence" yet to be filmed in East Corinth. Otherwise, the production has been shooting over in London. For now, we'll just have to await further updates and ponder just what whoever stole that statue plans to do with it.