Summary

• A surprise cameo by Danny DeVito is confirmed in Beetlejuice 2's trailer, continuing a long collaboration with Tim Burton.
• Beetlejuice 2's trailer hints at more surprises in store for the cast, including appearances by Burton's acting troupe.
• Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Jenna Ortega, and now Danny DeVito will reunite with Burton in the highly anticipated sequel.

The official trailer for cast and plot details for Beetlejuice 2 have been kept under wraps ahead of the anticipated return to Tim Burton’s spooky world, but the latest trailer confirms some exciting new actors, characters, and twists for the sequel.

While frequent Tim Burton collaborators like Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O'Hara were already confirmed as they reprise their roles from the 1988 Beetlejuice movie, Beetlejuice 2's latest trailer reveals a surprise appearance from another member of the director's personal acting troupe. Not only does the newly confirmed Beetlejuice 2 cast member create a fun reunion with director Tim Burton, but it also marks the actor’s fourth movie with Michael Keaton. The actor's role appears to just be a brief cameo, but certainly indicates that more surprises could be in store regarding the stars of Beetlejuice 2.

Beetlejuice 2’s Trailer Confirms Danny DeVito's Cameo As A Janitor

Frequent Tim Burton collaborator Danny DeVito has a surprise role in Beetlejuice 2

The new trailer from Warner Bros. confirms that Danny DeVito will cameo in Beetlejuice 2 as a dead janitor. DeVito’s involvement was kept a secret ahead of the 2024 movie’s latest trailer, but makes sense given he had a major role in Burton’s most recent film venture, Dumbo. The actor is only seen briefly in Beetlejuice 2’s trailer, as he’s seen in the afterlife with a heavily decayed appearance while on a riding floor scrubber, which short-circuits and electrocutes the dead janitor. Interestingly, the original Beetlejuice movie also highlighted a dead janitor in the Neitherworld as he spoke to Adam and Barbara, but it doesn’t seem that DeVito is meant to be playing the same ghost.

Unlike most of the other frequent Tim Burton actors confirmed to star in Beetlejuice 2, DeVito wasn’t part of the original Beetlejuice movie, so his janitor character is brand-new to the franchise. Of course, Beetlejuice 2 is far from DeVito and Burton's first project together, as the two have been collaborating since the actor starred as the Penguin in 1992's Batman Returns. With the duo’s initial Batman Returns being a massive hit, earning approximately $267 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo) while holding an impressive “Certified Fresh” 82% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the pressure is on for Beetlejuice 2 to follow suit as another success story for Burton and DeVito.

Interestingly, the original Beetlejuice movie also highlighted a dead janitor in the Neitherworld as he spoke to Adam and Barbara, but it doesn’t seem that DeVito is meant to be playing the same ghost.

Beetlejuice 2 Is Danny DeVito & Tim Burton's Fifth Movie Together

DeVito & Burton have worked on 5 movies together since 1992

Danny DeVito is high among Tim Burton’s most frequent collaborators, with the actor and director now having made five movies together between 1992 and 2024. Their partnership began with Batman Returns, in which DeVito starred as the iconic villain Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, with sporadic collaborations following over the subsequent three decades. After Batman Returns, DeVito was cast in Tim Burton’s 1996 sci-fi movie Mars Attacks! as a “Rude Gambler,” which largely amounted to a cameo similar to what his Beetlejuice 2 role is suggested to entail.

DeVito and Burton’s third movie together arrived in 2003 with Big Fish, an acclaimed fantasy movie in which the actor starred as Amos Calloway. Following Big Fish, there was a 16-year gap between Danny DeVito and Tim Burton’s movies together, which would be broken when the actor was cast as one of the lead characters, Maximilian “Max” Medici, in 2019’s Dumbo. Also co-starring Beetlejuice 2’s Michael Keaton, Dumbo was a critical and commercial disappointment for Burton, but his next outing with DeVito is looking like it’ll provide some redemption for their projects.

Danny DeVito’s cameo as a janitor in Beetlejuice 2 also reunites him with Michael Keaton for the third time in Tim Burton’s filmography. Their first Burton movie together was Batman Returns, in which Keaton starred as the heroic Bruce Wayne/Batman while DeVito played his cinematic nemesis. The two then reunited after a 27-year hiatus in the live-action remake of Disney’s Dumbo, which had Michael Keaton tackle the film’s villain role. Now, DeVito and Keaton are back together under the direction of Tim Burton, which could end up flipping the dynamic of their characters from Batman Returns.

Beetlejuice 2 Hints At Flipping Danny DeVito & Michael Keaton's Iconic Tim Burton Batman Roles

DeVito & Keaton's Tim Burton characters have a new dynamic

With Michael Keaton starring as the main titular villain in Beetlejuice 2, he’s already reversing the circumstances of his iconic Batman character. However, this role reversal may be taken further if Danny DeVito’s janitor character turns out to be heroic in some sense, potentially helping out Jenna Ortega’s Astrid Deetz or Catherine O’Hara’s Delia Deetz as they become lost in the realm of the afterlife. His janitor role certainly wouldn’t be on the same scale as Batman, but it’s still exciting to see Keaton and DeVito’s new Tim Burton characters change their dynamics after giving some of their greatest blockbuster performances in Batman Returns.

Sources: Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes