Could Tim Burton's Latest Film 'Big Eyes' Affect His Directing Style for 'Beetlejuice' Sequel?

With the upcoming film "Beetlejuice 2" in production, Michael Keaton has revealed that Tim Burton will work on the upcoming project.

"Now it looks like he is involved. And without giving too much away we've talked to each other, and emailed each other, and if he's in, it's going to be hard not to be in," Keaton told MTV.

The news comes a bit as a surprise as Burton has not been involved with a sequel since 1992 when he directed "Batman Returns." The previous film had been released in 1989. However, it has been 25 years since Burton directed the first "Beetlejuice" film and his career has changed quite a lot since then. 

Back in 1988 when "Beetlejusice" was released, the film scored rave reviews and won an Academy Award for best makeup. Burton's consecutive films went on to garner critical acclaim and he continued working on fantastical adventures with dark overtones. However, his last two studio films, "Alice in Wonderland" and "Dark Shadows," were critical flops, with the latter also failing at the box office.

The director also began a working relationship with Johnny Depp, with which he did a number of films that went on to garner success including "Sweeny Todd" and "Ed Wood." However, "Dark Shadows" showed that audiences were no longer as receptive to their collaborations.

As a result, Burton stepped away from the studio film. He recently directed "Big Eyes," which had a reportedly low budget of $10 million, according to IMDB, and will be released by the Weinstein Company, known for their awards campaigning. The movie also features actors he has never worked with. The film will star Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz and Jason Schwartzman. However, it features the work of many of his frequent collaborators including composer Danny Elfman and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel.

Burton is also scheduled return to studio films next year when he directs an adaptation of the children's fantasy "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" due for release in summer 2015. As a result, if Burton directs the "Beetlejuice" sequel, it will probably undergo production for the next two years.

One of the big questions surrounding the sequel to "Beetlejuice" is if Burton directs the film, will he create a new visual style? Will he look to build off his recent work or will he try to replicate the tone and style from the 1988 film? It will also be interesting to see if Burton will recast Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis in the sequel and if many of the iconic roles will return as well.

One of the questionable aspects of the new production is the new writer, Seth Grahme-Smith. The scribe wrote Burton's "Dark Shadows" and the Burton-produced "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter." Both films went on to receive negative reviews and with no writing job since then, Grahme-Smith's script will be judged from the start and will create concerns for fans.

With no clear production start and no confirmation on Burton's part, we're likely still a few months away before anything concrete is announced for "Beetlejuice 2."