Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" will open the 81st annual Venice Film Festival. The film will be screened out of competition on Wednesday, August 28 at the Sala Grande. The screening will be the world premiere of the film, which reunites original stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder with Burton.

Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera expressed his excitement over the opportunity to premiere the sequel to the 1988 Michael Keaton classic, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice marks the long-awaited return of one of the most iconic characters of Tim Burton’s cinema, but also the happy confirmation of the extraordinary visionary talent and the masterly realization of one of the most fascinating auteurs of his time." He also continued to say that the festival is "honored and proud to host the world premiere of a work that features a surprising swing of creative imagination and driving hallucinatory rhythm." Tim Burton also stated, "I'm very excited by this. It means a lot to me to have the world premiere of this film at the Venice Film Festival."

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice takes place 36 years after the events of the original movie, and features Wednesday’s Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Ryder’s character Lydia Deetz. Keaton returns as "bio-exorcist" Beetlejuice, with Monica Bellucci appearing as his ex-wife Delores.

The 81st Venice International Film Festival, scheduled to run from August 28 to September 7, promises to be a star-studded affair. French actress Isabelle Huppert will preside over the jury, while Australian filmmaker Peter Weir and American actress Sigourney Weaver are slated to receive Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement.

Source: Press Release