Summary

• Beetlejuice 2 trailer confirms the death of original character Charles Deetz, setting the stage for an emotional, chaotic reunion with Beetlejuice.
• Lydia Deetz, Delia Deetz, and teenage daughter Astrid face loss in Winter River, triggering Beetlejuice's return in the sequel.
• Michael Keaton's iconic Beetlejuice reappears as Lydia discovers secrets in the attic, with a familiar song playing at the funeral.

The first official trailer for Beetlejuice's ending, Tim Burton's Beetlejuice 2 sees the Deetz family reunite with Michael Keaton's titular ghost after experiencing the death of a loved one. However, a few crucial characters from the original movie have long been missing from the sequel's confirmed returning faces, with the 2024 horror-comedy's teaser trailer finally providing some answers as to why.

Beetlejuice's iconic Harry Belafonte song "Day-O" plays, with a blink-or-you'll-miss-it detail confirming the identity of the sequel's recently deceased character.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will be released in theaters on September 6, 2024. Beetlejuice (1988) is available to rent or purchase from digital retailers like Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.

Beetlejuice 2's Trailer Confirms Charles Deetz Died

Beetlejuice Sequel Says Goodbye To Dad

After plenty of theories regarding the character's fate, Beetlejuice 2's teaser trailer confirms that Charles Deetz (Jeffrey Jones) dies at the start of the movie. Burton has already confirmed that this Deetz family death is what kicks off Beetlejuice 2's emotional story, inciting the return of Michael Keaton's devious poltergeist. Three generations of Deetz women gather for his funeral, suggesting that the family will stay at the old Maitland house shortly after and, unfortunately, re-encounter Beetlejuice in the attic.

Burton has already confirmed that this Deetz family death is what kicks off Beetlejuice 2's emotional story, inciting the return of Michael Keaton's devious poltergeist.

Charles Deetz's death was originally speculated after both Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara were Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis' characters Adam and Barbara Maitland, it's fitting that the sequel repeats this with another death in the house.

Charles Deetz Dying Still Creates A Problem For Beetlejuice 2

Can The Sequel Exorcise This New Problem?

Despite the fact that Lydia's father is dead in Beetlejuice 2, the sequel can't simply ignore Jeffrey Jones' character. The entire basis of the original Beetlejuice movie is that the dead and living interact together, so killing off a character in this universe doesn't explain their physical absence. If Winona Ryder's adult Lydia, Jenna Ortega's teenage Astrid, and Catherine O'Hara's Delia Deetz are still living in the Winter River home, then the ghost of Charles, and thus Jeffrey Jones, would logically also still be in the house.

While Beetlejuice 2 already has to jump through some hoops to explain why Adam and Barbara Maitland are no longer haunting the attic, the seemingly extended absence of Charles' ghost poses another problem.

While this could have potentially been explained by suggesting that Charles' ghost went to live in their old New York City apartment or a different house that they own, his funeral being in Winter River discounts this. Consequently, while Beetlejuice 2 already has to jump through some hoops to explain why Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin's characters are no longer haunting the attic, the seemingly extended absence of Charles' ghost poses another problem. Unless the majority of the film takes place outside the Maitland/Deetz house, the absence of Jeffrey Jones' Charles will be difficult to ignore.

Beetlejuice 2's Trailer May Subtly Reveal How Charles Deetz Dies

Charles' Headstone Gives A Big Hint

While plenty of questions surrounding the death of Charles Deetz still remain, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice's first trailer may give a hint as to what caused his tragic demise. Oddly, the glass grave marker at his funeral is shaped like a shark fin, which has led to speculation that Charles Deetz died in a shark attack. As outlandish as this sounds, it aligns with the original Beetlejuice movie's unusual deaths implied for the Neitherworld waiting room's ghosts.

In fact, one of the ghosts in the 1988 film's waiting room was killed by a shark, as the recently deceased man has a snorkel on his head, swimsuit trunks on, and a shark hanging from his ankle. Death by shark attack would also the "unexpected" nature of the tragedy teased in Beetlejuice 2's official synopsis, with its campy nature being fitting for the franchise. Of course, if the Deetzes went so far as to make his headstone fin-shaped, then it sounds like Charles switched out his bird obsession for a shark or sealife obsession before his Beetlejuice 2 death.