Monica Bellucci joins star-studded Beetlejuice 2 cast

Monica Bellucci is the latest big name to join the star-studded Beetlejuice 2 cast.

The Italian actress will feature alongside the previously announced stars Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, and of course, Michael Keaton, who is set to reprise his role as the unscrupulous ghost, Beetlejuice.

While plot details are being kept tightly under wraps, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Bellucci has been cast in the comedy sequel in the role of Beetlejuice's wife.

Wednesday star Ortega is reportedly leading the cast, with Ryder returning to play the character of Lydia Deetz, who is now the mother of Ortega's character. Schitt's Creek actress Catherine O'Hara, who played Lydia's stepmother Delia Deetz in the 1988 original, is also among the returnees.

Bellucci will be directed by her real-life partner Tim Burton, who also helmed the original. Production on the sequel reportedly kicked off in London this week.

Bellucci is known internationally for starring in Italian and French movies such as Malèna, The Apartment, Irréversible, and Brotherhood of the Wolf, as well as Hollywood blockbusters such as The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions and the James Bond movie Spectre. She is currently appearing opposite Toni Collette in Mafia Mamma.

Beetlejuice 2 is slated for release on 6 September 2024.