Monica Bellucci to star in Beetlejuice 2

Monica Bellucci has signed up to star in Beetlejuice 2.

The 58-year-old actress is the latest performer to join the cast of the sequel to the 1988 supernatural comedy that sees her partner Tim Burton returning to direct.

Production on the project is set to begin imminently in the UK ahead of a September 2024 release date.

Plot details are yet to be revealed but Monica is set to play Beetlejuice's wife.

The new movie features a combination of both original and fresh cast members with Michael Keaton returning as the titular ghost and Winona Ryder reprising the part of Lydia Deetz.

'Wednesday' actress Jenna Ortega has been cast as Lydia's daughter while Justin Theroux is to feature in a role that is not yet known.

The original movie was a critical and commercial hit and told the story of a couple of ghosts who enlist a spirit named Beetlejuice to help them rid their home of its new inhabitants.

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Composer Danny Elfman - who will be reunited with longtime collaborator Burton on the 'Beetlejuice' sequel - recently suggested that Michael "won't look much different" as the character despite more than three decades having passed since the original movie.

He told Deadline: "I said, 'He's not even going to look that much different. That's the beauty of the 'Beetlejuice' make-up. He already looked like he was 150 in the first one.'

"It's perfect, you know? Everybody else has to play the next generation, except for Michael. I mean, he's still like really fit and really active and really on it.

"And with the Beetlejuice make-up, I can't even imagine it's going to look like he's changed practically at all. So, I can't wait for that."