Catherine O’Hara is returning as Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice 2, which is all the more exciting given the potential to integrate the campiness of her most iconic TV role. Over 35 years after the original movie, Tim Burton is returning to direct the long-awaited Beetlejuice 2 movie, which hits theaters September 6, 2024 and follows up on the title poltergeist and his history with the living Deetz family. The stacked cast includes new additions Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s daughter, Justin Theroux in an undisclosed role, Monica Bellucci as Beetlejuice's wife, and Willem Dafoe as an afterlife policeman (via THR), as well as the highly anticipated returns of Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara as Lydia’s stepmother Delia Deetz.
After having voice roles in Frankenweenie (2012), Beetlejuice 2 finally reunites Catherine O’Hara with Tim Burton for their fourth movie collaboration. Following Beetlejuice, much of the original cast went on to star in iconic film and television roles outside the Tim Burton world, including a significant revival in popularity in the 2010s for Winona Ryder in Stranger Things and O’Hara in Schitt’s Creek. In fact, these incredibly impactful roles during their Beetlejuice hiatus will be beneficial for Beetlejuice 2’s actor and character returns, particularly for Catherine O’Hara’s anticipated reprisal of the dramatic and self-interested Delia Deetz.
Catherine O'Hara's Schitt's Creek Character Is Huge For Delia's Beetlejuice 2 Role
While Delia was a fun supporting character in the original Beetlejuice movie, Catherine O’Hara’s Emmy-winning performance as eccentric actress and socialite Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek is certain to enhance Delia’s role in Beetlejuice 2. Delia and Moira aren’t too dissimilar, as both are artistic, shamelessly self-oriented, struggle to connect with their children, and are quite theatrical in the dramatic natures of their characters. As such, Moira was the perfect lead-in to Catherine O’Hara’s return as Delia in Beetlejuice 2, which can play up the character’s campiness and odd quirks in a manner similar to the actress’s approach to her Schitt’s Creek role.
Given O’Hara’s awarded talent in portraying such characters over the past three decades, Delia could become far more entertaining in the sequel than the original movie. O’Hara’s unique take on Delia in 1988 already made the character iconic, but translating more of Moira’s improvised eccentricities from Schitt’s Creek will make Delia the supporting secret weapon that the Beetlejuice sequel needs to remarkably improve upon the original. Beetlejuice 2 will also likely feature at least one inevitably iconic scene between the Deetz clan with O’Hara, Ryder, and Ortega, thus uniting three massively talented and popular actresses to showcase their varying genre skills and legacies. Ryder and Ortega are already a greatly exciting Beetlejuice 2 prospect, but O’Hara being in the mix brings the Deetzes’ return to the next level.
How Delia Can Return For Beetlejuice 2
While the story details of Beetlejuice 2 are being kept under wraps, the returning original cast sets up another massive confrontation between Beetlejuice and the Deetzes, which originally ended with Beetlejuice being stuck in the Neitherworld while Lydia, Delia, and Charles learned to live harmoniously with the deceased Maitlands. After spending so much time remodeling the Maitlands’ home and installing her own artwork, Delia is likely still living in the house from Beetlejuice. Since Beetlejuice 2 is teasing another battle between Beetlejuice and Lydia’s family, it’s possible that Lydia and her daughter will seek out Delia to inform her that Keaton’s poltergeist is after them again 35 years later.
Jeffrey Jones has yet to be announced as returning for Beetlejuice 2, so the sequel could include a tragedy for the Deetz family with the loss of Charles, which may have brought Lydia and Delia closer together after the events of Beetlejuice. If so, Delia could actually have a good relationship with Lydia and her daughter in Beetlejuice 2, thus bringing all three Deetz women together to battle Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice. Over the past 35 years, Delia also may very well have become a personal sculptor and designer for those in the afterlife, hopefully giving Catherine O’Hara a larger artistic role in Beetlejuice 2’s ghostly story.
