Screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith has confirmed that Michael Keaton is excited about reprising his title role in the anticipated sequel to ‘Beetlejuice,’ Coming Soon is reporting. Grahame-Smith is planning on penning the script for Tim Burton, who posed to direct the next installment to his popular 1988 horror comedy film. When the writer was asked how close ‘Beetlejuice 2′ is to becoming a reality, the writer said “It’s a reality in the sense that I met with (Michael) Keaton last week.”

Keaton has been wanting to film a ‘Beetlejuice’ movie for 20 years, Grahame-Smith also said. “He’ll talk to anybody about it who will listen. I really told him, I have a huge reverence for (Tim) and a huge reverence for that film in general,” the writer added. “I don’t think we should do it if we s**t on the legacy. He agrees.” The certainty of the film “remains to be seen,” but Grahame-Smith has a couple of story ideas.

Grahame-Smith added that ‘Beetlejuice 2,’ which, like its predecessor, would be distributed by Warner Bros., is “a priority for (Tim).” He added that the sequel will have to wait until he’s finished scripting two other films. “Right now, I am writing an animated movie for (Tim) based on an idea of mine. Then I adapt ‘Unholy Night’ (based on the upcoming book). The third I am hoping is ‘Beetlejuice’ in terms of writing schedule,” Grahame-Smith also said.

Written by: Karen Benardello