Michael Keaton's Batman & Beetlejuice Will Finally Meet - In An Unexpected Place
Michael Keaton is returning to the role of Betelgeuse in Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice," and to celebrate the occasion, the character is crossing over with another iconic pop culture icon played by the actor: Batman.
Keaton and Burton first worked together on 1988's "Beetlejuice." The actor's titular character is an eccentric spirit who finds himself hired by a recently deceased couple to drive away an annoying family who have moved into their former home. The horror-comedy features a talented cast including Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as the freshly turned ghosts Adam and Barbara Maitland, Jeffrey Jones (who won't be returning in the sequel), Catherine O'Hara, and Winona Ryder as the Deetz family who moved into the house, and Keaton, who plays Betelgeuse, a idiosyncratic poltergeist who likes nothing more than to stir up mayhem.
One year later, Keaton and Burton teamed again for "Batman," where the actor plays Bruce Wayne and his vigilante alter ego as he goes up against Jack Nicholson's Joker. The star and director would reunite again for the movie's sequel, "Batman Returns," which has the Dark Knight take on Danny DeVito's Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman.
Keaton recently reprised his role as Batman in 2023's "The Flash," which featured several iconic callbacks to the original films. In a new series of variant comic book covers from DC Comics, Batman and Betelgeuse collide. Keaton's "ghost with the most" also comes face to face with more DC heroes and villains on other covers, including Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing, Harley Quinn and more.
Beetlejuice invades the DC Universe
Artist Joe Quinones, who spearheaded and illustrated the comic adaptations of "Batman '89," draws a "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice variant" featuring the Dark Knight with Betelgeuse causing quite the scene behind him. The cover will appear on "Batman" #152, out on September 4.
In Dan Hipp's variant for "Gotham City Sirens" #2, Betelgeuse meets his DC Universe match in Harley Quinn. As he dances with her, other heroes and villains join them on top of the infamous sandworm monster. The cover art releases on August 13, 2024.
On August 21, DC will release four "Beetlejuice"-themed variants, including classic horror artist Kelley Jones' homage to Bernie Wrightson and Jack Adler's iconic cover for "House of Secrets" #92, the first appearance of Swamp Thing. In the artwork, which will be available on the Fascimile Edition of the vintage comic, Beetlejuice looks in a mirror, anticipating Swamp Thing's arrival. On "Nightwing" #117's variant from Nicola Scott, Dick Grayson swings through the air as Betelgeuse horrifyingly towers over him, and in the variant for "Wonder Woman" #12, the Amazonian hero ties up a sandworm with her Lasso of Truth. Finally, Chris Bachalo's variant for "Superman" #17 features Betelgeuse on the couch in the Netherworld's waiting room, asking Superman (who has a shrunken head) if the Man of Steel and Lois Lane are still togethe.
"Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" arrives in theaters on September 6, 2024. To pick up one of the new DC covers, contact your local comic book shop.