Michael Keaton's "Beetlejuice" character was left with an eternity of waiting ahead of him 27 years ago. But since then, Keaton's creation has become a cult favorite, so much so that his co-stars — and even the film's director — may be climbing on board for a sequel. When Keaton visited TODAY Tuesday, he did not dispel the notion that it could happen.
"I've been talking about it for years, and saying if I ever did something again, it'd be that," he said. "The rumors ... have risen before and fallen away."
There may be more than rumors this time, though. Winona Ryder, who played Lydia, indicated in November that she was "sworn to secrecy" about a sequel, and said she'd be really interested to see what her character was doing "27 years later."
Director Tim Burton is reportedly interested too, which all but seals the deal for Keaton.
"If Tim is involved, and I think he might be involved, I'd be more than interested. He's so original," the actor said. "He's an artist."
Keaton also weighed in on Ben Affleck picking up the "Batman" cape and gave him a thumbs-up. "He's gonna be great!" said Keaton, who portrayed the Caped Crusader in two films, 1989's "Batman" and the 1992 sequel "Batman Returns." He shook his head over the casting controversy. "I don't know why people get excited about things," he said. "Frankly, I don't understand it."
But beyond any potential "Beetlejuice" sequel, Keaton has been staying busy, appearing in the remake of "RoboCop" now in theaters, and Larry David's HBO movie "Clear History." The actor recently finished a new film called "Birdman" and was visiting TODAY Tuesday to promote his latest release, "Need for Speed," a live-action take based on the video-game series of the same name.
"I had just come (to 'Need for Speed') off doing, like, three things in a row," he said. "So I was pretty beat by the time I got (to the set)."
"Need for Speed" opens in theaters on March 14. "Beetlejuice 2," well, stay tuned.