Is Jenna Ortega the next Tim Burton actress, as rumours of Beetlejuice 2 casting surface?

It would seem that working with Tim Burton begets additional work with Tim Burton - at least, from the examples we’ve taken a lot at. We make this bold claim as news has emerged that the long-awaited sequel to Burton’s 1988 macabre classic, Beetlejuice, is in the works with a name he’s recently worked with tipped for a role.

Deadline has reported that Wednesday actress and current reigning scream queen Jenna Ortega is in talks for a role in Beetlejuice 2. Insiders add that Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder are expected to reprise their roles with Burton directing, but no news if Geena Davis or Alec Baldwin, who played the reluctant poltergeists in the original movie, would be returning.

Deadline also reports that production is hoped for a late May or early June shoot in London, but the budget has not been set, resulting in a back and forth between producers and Warner Bros, the studio set to release the film. However, if a deal is made, sources say Ortega would play the daughter of Lydia, the character played by Winona Ryder in the original.

It would mark the second collaboration between Ortega and Burton, who acted as a producer for the popular Netflix series Wednesday. Another familiar face associated at times with Tim Burton also appears in the show - Christina Ricci, who appeared alongside Johnny Depp in the 1999 horror Sleepy Hollow.

It seems that working with Tim Burton once is enough to work with him time and time again, especially if you happen to be Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter. Peopleworld has taken a look at some of the frequent females that have worked with Tim Burton, as we eagerly await more news about Beetlejuice 2.

To quote the ghost with the most: it’s showtime.

Winona Ryder

Though she made her feature film debut in the 1986 romantic comedy Lucas (opposite a young Charlie Sheen and the late Corey Haim), it was her role in Tim Burton’s second silver screen endeavor that many would cite broke her into Hollywood’s elite.

Starring in the 1988 movie Beetlejuice, alongside established stars such as Michael Keaton, Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin and Catherine O’Hara, Winona’s performance as the proto-emo Lydia showed an acting maturity far greater than her age. She went on to work with Burton once more in 1990’s Edward Scissorhands opposite Johnny Depp.

Collaborations with Tim Burton: Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Christina Ricci

Having already established herself as a worthy child actor with her roles in The Addams Family and The Addams Family Values (1991 and 1993 respectively), Christina Ricci looked to transition from her early roles in family favourites to more mature outings.

Tim Burton was one of those to help foster that parlaying into adult roles, casting her in a lead role in his 1999 horror Sleepy Hollow as Katrina Van Tassel: Ichabod Crane’s love interest and the only heir to one of the town’s richest farmers and described her character as “a princess-y character, very one-sided, no emotional depth”. Ichabod Crane also happened to be played by… Johnny Depp!

Collaborations with Tim Burton: Sleepy Hollow (1999), Wednesday (2022)

Helena Bonham Carter

Though well renowned in the United Kingdom for her theatrical and television roles, her body of work didn’t translate hugely in the beginning for movie roles in the United States. She had an appearance in Woody Allen’s film Mighty Aphrodite, but it was the role of Marla in Fight Club that brought her to the attention of many - including Tim Burton.

Burton cast her in a lead role in his poorly received remake of Planet Of The Apes in 2001 and continued to cast her throughout the ‘00s with as many roles as Johnny Depp has collaborated with Burton on. The box office success of Planet Of The Apes and her star turn in Fight Club finally had her name uttered as a special talent in Hollywood. She would also become Burton’s long-term partner after the pair worked together during Planet Of The Apes.

Collaborations with Tim Burton: Planet Of The Apes (2001), Big Fish (2003), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), The Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Dark Shadows (2012)

Mia Wasikowska

Though Hollywood is not something that Australian actress Mia Wasikowska is interested in anymore, given her recent interviews with several media outlets, Hollywood certainly was knocking very hard on her door after 2010. Cast in the role of Alice in Burton’s adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, the relative unknown was surrounded by a supporting cast of Burton regulars including Bonham Carter and Depp, alongside some fantastic character actors such as Crispin Glover. She was in safe hands, even if Hollywood were unsure of this proven entity (by their standards)

Speaking to Buzzine in 2010, Burton remarked about the casting of Wasikowska “We wanted somebody who had... it’s hard to put into words, but just had a gravity to her, an internal life, something that you could see the wheels turning. It’s just a simple kind of power to her that we really liked. Not flamboyant, not very showy, but just somebody that’s got a lot of internal life to her. That’s why I picked her.”

Collaborations with Tim Burton: Alice in Wonderland (2010), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)