WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Beetlejuice 2 (2024)!Tim Burton openedWednesdayseason 1 with a gory moment for Jenna Ortega’s titular character, which he subtly pays tribute to through aBeetlejuice Beetlejuicedeath. Ortega joining thecast ofBeetlejuice 2marked her second collaboration with Burton afterWednesday, on which he served as an executive producer and the director of the first four episodes. Considering Burton has since cited his experience onWednesdayas helping to rejuvenate his excitement for filmmaking and finally compelling him to makeBeetlejuice 2, it shouldn’t come as a surprise thatmany show connections can be found in his long-awaited sequel.
One ofBeetlejuice 2’s greatest Easter egg callbackstoWednesdayseason 1 isn’t centered on Jenna Ortega’s Astrid. Rather, it’sconnected to Max Pemberton, an actor who only appeared in the opening sequence ofWednesdayseason 1, episode 1. InWednesday, Pemberton portrayed Dalton, a student at Wednesday Addams’ public school who bullied Pugsly. In retaliation for tormenting her brother, Wednesday let loose two bags of piranhas into the pool during Dalton’s water polo practice, which brutally left him maimed and Wednesday expelled. Unexpectedly, Tim Burton includes a nod to this moment through Pemberton’s character inBeetlejuice 2.
Max Pemberton Was Killed By A Shark In Beetlejuice 2 After His Piranha Attack In Wednesday Season 1
Max Pemberton’s Characters Suffer Grim Fates In Tim Burton Projects
Sadly, Max Pemberton’s characters don’t have much luck when it comes to water-based sports and aquatic life in Tim Burton horror projects. InBeetlejuice 2’s director’s commentary, Tim Burton confirmed thatWednesday’s Max Pemberton plays a surfer killed by a shark inBeetlejuice 2. Pemberton’s surfer can be spotted when Charles Deetz’s ghost first goes to the Neitherworld waiting room, as the two share a moment in which they recognize their similar deaths-by-shark-attack.
Every Major Dead Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Character & How They Died
Here’s how every deceased major character who appears in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice met their end, both in the mortal realm and in the afterlife.
Burton himself pointed out the irony of having Pemberton’s character suffer grave injuries fromWednesday’s piranha attack before casting him as a shark attack victim inBeetlejuice 2. It’s unclear if that casting connection was intentional, but Burton, who also makes acameo himself as Baby Betelgeuse’s voice inBeetlejuice 2,joked that Pemberton getting attacked by a shark highlights “everybody moving up” in this spooky, fantastical world. At the very least, Pemberton’sWednesdaycharacter survived the gory piranha incident.
Max Pemberton’s Beetlejuice 2 Role Increases The Sequel’s Major Wednesday Connections
Beetlejuice 2 & Wednesday’s Cast & Crew Share Plenty Of Overlap
It’s long been established thatTim Burton often brings back the same actorsacross various projects and frequently works with many of the same crew members and department heads, andBeetlejuice 2is no different. Plenty of familiar figures fromWednesday, in particular, reunited in Burton’s horror-comedy sequel alongside Wednesday Addams’ Jenna Ortega. In addition to Max Pemberton,Beetlejuice 2’s afterlife featuresWednesday’s Martha actress Caroline Lawrie as the Dead Cat Lady. Behind the scenes,Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceandWednesday’s overlapping names also include writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, editor Jay Prychidny, costume designer Colleen Atwood, and composer Danny Elfman.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Cast
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
Wednesday
Wednesday follows the journey of Wednesday Addams as she attends Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for outcasts. Tasked with mastering her psychic abilities, she confronts a series of town murders and a haunting family mystery from 25 years ago, all while managing new social dynamics.
