Tim Burton says that Beetlejuice sequel has probably been eaten by a sandworm

It looks like the only Tim Burton and Michael Keaton team-up fans will be getting in the foreseeable future is Dumbo. That’s because Beetlejuice’s long-embattled sequel has had a damning setback, as Warner Bros. seems to have indefinitely shelved the film.

The follow-up had been in the works for a while, recently getting a head of steam after WB assigned a new screenwriter to the project back in 2017. Then a Broadway musical showed up, Tim Burton tackled Dumbo, and somehow the sequel still had a bit of (after)life. But now, it seems that Beetlejuice 2 is finally taking a dirt nap.

According to USA Today, the undead Betelgeuse is trapped in purgatory. When they asked Burton about the sequel — which has been in various states of rumors and development hell since the original was a box office hit back in 1988 — he was less than optimistic about it ever actually making it in front of a camera.

"Nothing, nothing," was Burton’s response to a question about what was happening with the sequel. Is it ever going to happen? "I don't know. I doubt it," said Burton, who ended the line of questioning there. Following up with the studio shed some light: the project is no longer in active development.

With the would-be film now sitting on the shelf, fans of the ghostly freelancer can either watch the original or turn to the stage, where the musical is running on Broadway.