The long-awaited sequel of Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a hit at the box office and those who saw it. With critics calling the legacy sequel “whimsically macabre,” this poses the question of whether the gothic-style filmmaker has any other legacy sequels in store for us. While Burton reveals an Edward Scissorhands sequel is out, he said it doesn’t mean his days of “bouncing ideas” with frequent collaborator Johnny Depp are over.
Tim Burton has created successful sequels like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Batman Returns. However, there are certain sequel ideas that he’s put his foot down on like turning down fans who want a Nightmare Before Christmas 2. Another sequel idea that the Academy Award winner has refused to do is Edward Scissorhands and he told Indiewire why that’s so:
There are certain films I don’t want to make a sequel to. I didn’t want to make a sequel to [Edward Scissorhands] because it felt like a one-off thing. I didn’t want to have a sequel for ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ because it also felt like a one-off thing. Certain things are best left on their own and that for me is one of them.
I can’t say that I blame the Big Fish director for not wanting an Edward Scissorhands return. As much as I loved the Tim Burton movie, it seemed like the gothic romance-fantasy film already closed up really well. The ending of the film had Winona Ryder’s Kim as an elderly woman telling her granddaughter the story of the ageless humanoid. As the movie also ends with Edward spending eternity making ice sculptures, I don’t see that as much to go on for a next movie. The sad tale of the young man with razorblades for hands showed us that forming a relationship would be difficult for him and that expressing love through art would be all he could do. While the ending was tragic, the story was beautiful the way it was in that the heartfelt memories you make can give you strength.
Tim Burton tends to bring familiar faces into his dark yet kooky movies like then-wife Helena Bonham Carter, Christopher Lee, Michael Keaton, and more. But, Burton’s frequent collaborator who’s been in eight of his movies has been Johnny Depp. Even if an Edward Scissorhands sequel is out, Burton said “I’m sure there will be” another team-up with Depp and I’m so looking forward to it:
I never feel like, oh, I’m going to use this and that actor. It usually has to be based on the project I’m working on. That’s what film is all about. It’s collaboration and bouncing ideas off the people around you.
It’s understandable that Tim Burton wants to choose actors based on the projects he comes up with. When you think about every Johnny Depp performance in Burton’s movies, he knows how to absorb himself so well into the Golden Globe winner’s world. Maybe the Alice in Wonderland filmmaker doesn’t purposefully write his characters with Depp in mind, but he certainly knows how to shape them around the Sweeney Todd actor’s transformative qualities. If anything, I thank Burton for allowing Depp to show us his versatile acting chops in giving us emotional yet eccentric performances through each of Burton’s characters.
An Edward Scissorhands sequel is out of the question, but Tim Burton is still going with his idea of remaking the sci-fi classic Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. With Burton’s artistry of mixing practical and CGI effects to be a success, I have no doubts that he’ll bring a uniquely fascinating twist to the modern remake. Plus with there being no casting news announced yet and Johnny Depp slowly making a Hollywood comeback, hopefully this will be the movie that brings the frequent collaborators to team up for their ninth movie.
You can watch the Tim Burton classic Edward Scissorhands available on your Hulu subscription, Peacock subscription, and Paramount+ subscription.