Much internet theorizing has been devoted to the idea of a potential Johnny Depp appearance in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, but do these theories hold any water?

Famed filmmaker Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp have worked together on a multitude of projects, including Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and the cult classic Edward Scissorhands.

Such actor/director partnerships are not uncommon in the film industry; Steven Spielberg has Tom Hanks, and Martin Scorsese has Robert De Niro. But Depp has, in the past few years, found himself in a particularly unenviable position in his life and Hollywood.

Does Johnny Depp Have a Role in Beetlejuice 2?

There is a significant amount of speculation online over whether Johnny Depp will show up in Tim Burton’s upcoming Beetlejuice sequel. The reason behind this assumption is the fact that over the years, Depp and Burton have collaborated on a total of eight feature films.

However, Johnny Depp has not starred in a Burton film for over a decade, having last led the cast of his 2012 movie Dark Shadows.

What’s more, recent developments in Depp’s life have left him persona non grata in the eyes of many casting directors. This has mainly been due to the highly public defamation trial between himself and his now ex-wife Amber Heard.

The short version is that both parties leveled allegations of domestic abuse at one another. The final outcome of the years-long legal fracas consisted of a victory for Depp in court, though his personal reputation was dealt a serious blow.

Since then, the actor has kept a fairly low profile, making a limited number of both on-screen and public appearances. At the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Depp was even quoted (via Associated Press) as saying he didn’t have the same reliance on moviemaking any longer:

“I don’t have much further need for Hollywood, myself.”

This is all to say that it seems quite unlikely that Johnny Depp would have a role in September’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

It feels as though the damage has well and truly been done to Depp’s career in the past few years and even if he was invited to take part in the sequel, his recent comments indicate that he’s probably not pursuing any parts in big-budget productions.

Stranger things have happened in the movie business. However, considering that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton haven’t worked together in 12 years and given that Depp also wasn’t in the original Beetlejuice from 1988, chances are likely quite slim that Depp crops up in the new movie.

What Is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice About?

Warner Bros. And Tim Burton have elected to cash in on another Hollywood legacy sequel.

The iconic Beetlejuice from ‘88 concerns a wedded, but deceased, couple attempting to drive their house’s new residents away. To accomplish this, they call upon the help of Michael Keaton’s wacky demon, Betelgeuse.

In the forthcoming second film, which arrives a whopping 36 years after the first, the Deetz family, who were central to the plot of the 1988 movie, are embroiled in another over-the-top escapade alongside Keaton’s character.

Beetlejuice 2 will also include some newcomers to the franchise in the form of Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, and more.