Summary

• Winona Ryder returns as Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice 2, with her iconic gothic style intact after 35 years, staying faithful to the original character.
• The classic Beetlejuice look suggests that other returning characters in the sequel will maintain their iconic appearances and personalities as well.
• Although Stranger Things has boosted Ryder's career, her return to Beetlejuice is more exciting due to the cultural significance of her original performance and the revival of her gothic persona.

The Winona Ryder Beetlejuice return in the upcoming Beetlejuice 2 was teased by set photos that give an early look at Lydia Deetz in the sequel. Ryder’s breakout role was in Tim Burton’s 1988 horror-comedy movie Beetlejuice, in which she portrayed gothic teen Lydia Deetz, who befriends the two newly deceased ghosts that previously occupied her family’s new home. Ryder has since returned to the sentimentality of the 1980s through her starring role in Netflix’s Stranger Things, which is expected to debut its fifth and final season in 2025. Now, Ryder is reprising her role as Lydia in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice 2, which is currently filming and drops in theaters on September 6, 2024.

A handful of set photos of Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice 2 depict the actress clad in black with Lydia’s signature spiky bangs, proving not too much has changed about the character’s personality over the past 35 years. The set pictures of the Beetlejuice 2 movie also show Ryder sitting in the passenger seat of a black Tesla, which reportedly left an unused school. It’s unclear who is in the driver’s seat of the car, but it’s possible that Lydia could be picking up or dropping off Jenna Ortega, who is cast in Beetlejuice 2 as her daughter.

Winona Ryder's Look In Beetlejuice 2 Promises A Proper, Faithful Sequel

Lydia Deetz Is A Goth Mom In The New Beetlejuice Movie

Considering it’s been 35 years since Beetlejuice, there were numerous directions that the sequel could have gone with Lydia’s character. With Lydia now a parent, Beetlejuice 2 could have made her a more mainstream adult who grows out of her gothic persona as a teenage “phase.” Rather, Beetlejuice 2 giving Lydia her same haircut, dark makeup, and black clothing is far more faithful to the Winona Ryder Beetlejuice character that launched her career.

Beetlejuice 2 set photos shared on X (via the Epic Film Guys account) show the now-adult Winona Ryder made up as a still incredibly gothic Lydia Deetz. The sequel will depict the same, familiar Lydia that became an icon after her 1988 debut, but with some modern tweaks and responsibility as the mother of Jenna Ortega’s character.

The return of the classic Winona Ryder Beetlejuice look is promising. It shows that Tim Burton likely hasn't made major changes to the character after 35 years, suggesting Beetlejuice 2’s other returning characters could similarly maintain their iconic appearances and personalities. Catherine O’Hara’s Beetlejuice 2 return as Delia Deetz will likely be just as campy and dramatic as the original, perhaps with some additional improvised character quirks similar to the actress’s Emmy-winning Schitt’s Creek role. It also means Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice will be just as much of a sadistic nightmare, which is a necessity if the sequel is to capture the magic of the original.

Why The Winona Ryder Beetlejuice Return Is More Exciting Than Stranger Things Season 5

Lydia Deetz Is A More Iconic Character Than Joyce Byers

After a lull in high-profile roles in the 2000s and early 2010s, Winona Ryder found a massive revival in popularity with Stranger Things in 2016 playing Joyce Byers. The series brilliantly utilized her legacy as an '80s icon to enhance the setting and meta nostalgia, with Ryder showcasing her proven horror talents time and again throughout the first four seasons. As such, Ryder’s final outing as Joyce in Stranger Things season 5's story remains highly anticipated. However, the WInona Ryder Beetlejuice return is a much more exciting career move than her final adventures in Hawkins.

Ryder's season 5 return can’t compare to the nostalgia of the actress reviving her iconic 1988 Beetlejuice character’s old gothic style. Winona Ryder will inevitably be a huge part of Stranger Things season 5’s story conclusion. However, her role as Lydia in Beetlejuice was a culturally significant performance, making her return in Beetlejuice 2 much more exciting despite the success of Stranger Things on Netflix.

Ryder’s original Beetlejuice role is so iconic that Stranger Things’ Duffer brothers avoided progressing the timeline to 1988 to circumvent a paradox with the show’s teens seeing Ryder in the movie (via Deadline).

“That’s the threshold we can’t cross, which is once Winona is a superstar in the world, like the show has to stop, because [the kids’ heads] will spontaneously combust or something ... That’s the final scene: the kids go to see Beetlejuice and their heads explode."

Beetlejuice 2 is a full-circle moment for Winona Ryder’s legacy and rise to stardom, which is ultimately a more exciting ‘80s revival for the actress than Stranger Things, especially since the series partially hinges on this exact breakout horror role for its meta nostalgia. It should also be interesting to see how Ryder's character plays into the movie that seems to take place more in the afterlife, with Willem Dafoe starring as a detective on the other side. Monica Bellucci is also on board as Beetlejuice's wife, so Ryder's Lydia looks to be in for an interesting time in Beetlejuice 2

Beetlejuice 2 Lets Winona Ryder Pass Burton's Gothic Torch To The Next Generation

Jenna Ortega Will Carry The Winona Ryder Beetlejuice Legacy

Another incredibly exciting aspect of Beetlejuice 2 is that Winona Ryder will be passing on the torch of Tim Burton’s gothic muse to the next generation, namely Jenna Ortega. Ryder was Burton’s first major female gothic horror collaborator before Helena Bonham Carter, as the young actress appeared in Beetlejuice before starring in Edward Scissorhands as teenager Kim Boggs, who fell in love with Johnny Depp’s gothic titular character. However, Jenna Ortega is now taking over this role in Tim Burton’s modern projects following her massive breakout role as Wednesday Addams in Burton’s Wednesday Netflix series.

1990s Addams Family actress Christina Ricci passed the torch of the legacy of playing Wednesday Addams to Ortega on Wednesday. The young star is now adding to her list of gothic icons with Burton in Beetlejuice 2. Ortega’s character in Beetlejuice 2 will likely reflect Lydia’s characterization in the original movie, which means Winona Ryder will essentially be playing off interactions with a modernized version of her iconic younger self in the sequel. While Winona Ryder’s Lydia can never be replaced, it’s exciting to see how the actress will grow her original role to integrate the gothic brilliance of Ortega into the same world.

Stranger Things Still Enhances Ryder's Transition Back To Beetlejuice

Joyce Byers Helps The Lydia Deetz Excitment Cross A Generational Gap

Although Beetlejuice 2 is a more exciting character return for Ryder than Stranger Things season 5, the Netflix series still plays a role in the anticipation for the movie’s arrival. Stranger Things permitted Ryder a high-profile return to her ‘80s horror skills, which also crucially relied on her nostalgic persona and compelling performance for success. The acclaim of Ryder in Stranger Things was a great indication she could revive her Beetlejuice role. As Winona Ryder transitions back to her gothic ‘80s icon in Beetlejuice 2, credit is due to Stranger Things for relieving any doubt that she’ll brilliantly pick up where she left off in the Tim Burton sequel.

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  Beetlejuice 2

  Release Date:

  2024-09-06

  Director:

  Tim Burton

  Cast:

  Michael Keaton, Jenna Ortega, Winona Ryder, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, Catherine O'Hara

  Rating:

  Not Yet Rated

  Genres:

  Comedy, Supernatural

  Writers:

  Mike Vukadinovich

  Studio(s):

  KatzSmith Productions, Tim Burton Productions, Warner Bros. Pictures, Plan B Entertainment

  Distributor(s):

  Warner Bros. Pictures