20 Horror Sequels That Took FOREVER To Get Made

Tim Burton's Beetlejuice was enough of a hit that a sequel was fast-tracked into production, with Burton swiftly settling on the title Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian.

However, despite the script being written by 1991, Burton ultimately departed to work on Batman Returns. Over the years he continued to hash out potential sequel ideas, such as a Beetlejuice sequel set in the Wild West or Paris, but none of them came to fruition.

Beetlejuice 2 picked up momentum once again in the early 2010s as Burton began to work with writers to bring the concept to life, but it ended up being shelved by Warner Bros. in 2019.

However, in 2022 the sequel was resurrected, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice indeed finally released in 2024, 36 years after the original. 

Few were expecting much considering both the general quality of belated comedy sequels and Burton's tepid recent output, but it was ultimately well-received by critics and a monstrous box office hit, grossing $452 million worldwide.

While two movies is plenty for the Beetlejuice "franchise", Warner Bros. has hinted that a third might well be in the works, despite Burton himself casting doubt on the idea.