Michael Keaton is not a fan of the “merchandising” of Beetlejuice. The Tim Burton film has become a pop culture phenomenon. A sequel is coming out in 2024, so he can expect even more merchandising.
Despite Beetlejuice becoming a hit, it was hard for Keaton to come to grips with its popularity. Seeing his character on coffee mugs and golf club covers weirded him out. He spoke to Empire about it for their cover issue.
“There's been so much merchandising of it, I had to drop back to where it started,” Keaton told Empire. “I had to go, ‘What was my unusual imagination even thinking about when I was developing it in the first place?' As opposed to seeing a coffee mug or a golf club cover [with Beetlejuice's face].”
It was all just weird to Keaton and “off-putting” to the actor, who has played other pop culture icons like Batman.
“That was f**king weird,” Keaton said. “To be honest with you — I'm being very frank — it was off-putting, to look and go, ‘I don't want to look all these little things, f**k that — what was the thing that started this?'”
What is Beetlejuice?
Beetlejuice is an Oscar-winning 1988 film directed by Tim Burton. It follows a recently deceased couple who discover that they aren't able to leave their house as ghosts. They then get in touch with Betelgeuse, aka Beetlejuice, to scare away the new owners of their house.
Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis starred in the film alongside Keaton, Catherine O'Hara, and Winona Ryder. Beetlejuice was a box office hit, grossing nearly $75 million worldwide during its theatrical run.
Nearly four decades later, a sequel, titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, is coming out. Alfred Gough and Miles Miller wrote the script for Burton, who returned to direct the sequel. Longtime Burton collaborator Danny Elfman returned as well to compose the score of the sequel.
The film picks up 40 years after the events of the previous film. The Deetz family returns to Winter River. Lydia (Winoa Ryder) has to deal with her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega). She accidentally opens a portal to the Afterlife which brings Betelgeuse back into the fold.
Returning stars include Keaton, Ryder, and O'Hara. Jenna Ortega headlines the new cast members as well as Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, and Burn Gorman.
Warner Bros will release Beetlejuice Beetlejuice on September 6.
Who is Michael Keaton?
Michael Keaton is an award-winning actor known for his roles in Beetlejuice, Batman, and Birdman. He is coming off of a recent Emmy Award win for his performance in Hulu's drama, Dopesick.
He first gained notoriety for his TV roles in Ali's Fair and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. On the big screen, Keaton got his big break starring in Night Shift and Mr. Mom.
Beetlejuice began what would become Keaton's prime. He starred in Batman (and Batman Returns), Pacific Heights, One Good Cop, and Jackie Brown in the subsequent years.
More recently, Keaton has starred in Cars, Toy Story 3, The Other Guys, RoboCop, The Founder, Minions, and Spotlight. His performance in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) landed him his first Oscar nomination. Keaton has also starred in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Dumbo, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and The Flash.
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