Everything you need to know about the ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ score, soundtrack and composer

27 August 2024, 15:19 | Updated: 30 August 2024, 13:24

Watch the first official trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Ahead of its September release, here are all the musical details we know about Tim Burton’s hotly anticipated ‘Beetlejuice’ sequel.

When Tim Burton’s dark fantasy Beetlejuice first hit screens in 1988, his enchantingly mysterious world filled with an absurd and morbid ensemble cast of characters gained an instant cult following.

The comedy horror was one of Burton’s first big box office hits, and plenty of sequels were floated over the years. But with Burton and his cast becoming increasingly in-demand in Hollywood, the timing was never quite right.

Beetlejuice then become a Tony Award-nominated stage musical, opening on Broadway in 2019 in an adaptation by Eddie Perfect.

But is the new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice film a musical, who is the composer, and what do we know about the music so far?

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Watch the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice trailer

Is ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ a musical?

While music is likely to feature heavily in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with Tim Burton at the helm, it is unlikely to include musical numbers like its Broadway counterpart.

Who is the composer for ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’?

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sees Tim Burton join forces once again with his kindred musical spirit, Danny Elfman, almost three decades after Beetlejuice.

The original 1988 film was one of Elfman’s early film scores, and his second ever collaboration with Tim Burton. The pair had first worked together on 1985’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, after Burton approached the Oingo Boingo frontman.

Since then, their relationship has gone on to become one of the most highly acclaimed composer-director pairings of the era, with Elfman having scored all but three of Burton’s blockbusters.

Speaking to Deadline about working with Burton on the hit Netflix series Wednesday, Elfman hinted at the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel and drew back the curtains on the film-making process he enjoys with Burton, saying: “I love being a fly on the wall when he’s shooting ... That is very exciting, to return to that world.”

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It appears that, in addition to Elfman’s specific brand of musical genius, the Oingo Boingo star has also invited several fellow rock musicians to collaborate on the recording with him.

The iMDB page to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice credits Blink-182 members Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, as well as My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, Mikey Way, Ray Toro, and Frank Iero, as recording musicians for the soundtrack, playing various instruments from keyboard, drums and bass guitar to first violin.

What music will feature in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’?

So far, no track listing has been released for the film. However, Warner Bros. has released a spooky choral recording of Harry Belafonte’s ‘Day-O’, which featured prominently in the first Beetlejuice film and also supposedly inspired Freddie Mercury’s iconic ‘Ay-oh’ call and response.

The new recording features 16-year-old soloist Alfie Davies and the Sylvia Young Theatre School Choir, and marks the dramatic opening of the film’s official trailer, as it’s sung at Charles Deetz’s funeral.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Soundtrack | Day-O - Alfie Davis & The Sylvia Young Theatre School Choir

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is released in the UK on 6 September 2024.