WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Scream 6!Jenna Ortega’s certified Scream Queen status is increasing with her growing slate of horror roles, potentially including Beetlejuice 2, which are so exciting that Wednesday season 2 no longer tops the list of her best upcoming projects. While already a big name for her roles in thriller shows and horror movies like X, You, Scream (2022), and The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Jenna Ortega launched into stardom with the arrival of Tim Burton’s Wednesday series. The show became one of the top-streamed series of all time on Netflix as Ortega tackled the iconic gothic daughter from The Addams Family, which has strengthened her reputation as a highly sought-out horror actress.
Shortly after Wednesday, Ortega gave a standout performance as Tara Carpenter in the slasher sequel Scream 6. Following these two projects, her most highly-anticipated upcoming role was her return as the title character in Wednesday season 2, on which Jenna Ortega will also be an executive producer. However, Ortega now has two more potential upcoming roles that outshine the excitement for Wednesday season 2. In addition to her expected return in the yet-to-be-confirmed Scream 7, the actress is in talks to play Lydia Deetz’ daughter in the horror-comedy sequel Beetlejuice 2, a film over 35 years-in-waiting.
Beetlejuice 2 Is Way More Exciting Than Wednesday Season 2
The possibility of Jenna Ortega starring in Beetlejuice 2 alongside Michael Keaton as the title poltergeist is one of the most exciting casting announcements of recent horror sequels. While most legacy sequels of classic horror films like Halloween, The Exorcist, and – at the time – Scream (2022) have put lesser-known actors in new lead roles, making Jenna Ortega the young star is already a foolproof way of making the in-development horror-comedy Beetlejuice 2 a success. While Ghostbusters: Afterlife had Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard leading the young cast, their influence wasn’t at the massive scale of Ortega.
Jenna Ortega’s popularity and accomplishments in the horror genre also establish her as the perfect actress to introduce a new generation to the campy charm of Beetlejuice, which remains one of Tim Burton’s greatest movies. Ortega playing Lydia Deetz’ daughter would also pair her with Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice 2, thus uniting the stars of two of the most popular modern horror shows, Wednesday and Stranger Things. While promoting Wednesday, Ortega named Beetlejuice as her favorite Tim Burton movie, so tackling the sequel would also align with her own interests. Not to mention, Ortega has noted her preference for film over TV work, suggesting Beetlejuice 2 would be more personally gratifying than Wednesday season 2.
Beetlejuice 2 & Scream 7 Better Carve Ortega's Own Horror Legacy
While Ortega will have more creative control over Wednesday season 2 due to her role as an executive producer, her upcoming potential film projects are where she can better carve her own legacy in the horror genre. Ortega would be playing a brand-new character in Beetlejuice 2, which ties her to the love of a franchise but allows her to truly make her role in the sequel her own. If she was simply starring in a remake of Beetlejuice as Lydia, she would be competing with the legacy of Winona Ryder in the role, similar to how her Wednesday role yielded ceaseless comparisons to Christina Ricci’s iconic iteration of the character.
Scream 7 is also a greater way for Jenna Ortega to continue joining established franchises and put her own charm into them. Ortega has now played Tara Carpenter in two Scream films, with the character becoming more complex, nuanced, and involved in each appearance. With Scream 7, Ortega’s role as Tara even has a meta-commentary on her own career in the horror genre, as exemplified by Scream 6’s Easter egg nods to her projects Wednesday and X. Despite the fact that Jenna Ortega has already proven that she perfectly embodies Wednesday’s eponymous role, Beetlejuice 2 and a Scream 7 return offer more mature and challenging progressions of her career that firmly establish her as a versatile horror staple.