Beetlejuice Beetlejuice lives, and it only took 36 years to bring to life. In sequels, as in comedy, it’s all about timing. Best to strike while the iron is hot, of course, but sometimes, stuff happens to delay even the most anticipated sequels. In the case of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, director Tim Burton was on board, Winona Ryder was on board, and Michael Keaton was especially on board, but, as Burton told Gizmodo, “Nothing clicked and truly, it couldn’t have happened until now.”