'Beetlejuice 2' Props — Including 150-Pound 'Abstract Art Statue' — Stolen from Set of Anticipated Sequel
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'Beetlejuice 2' was filming outdoor scenes in East Corinth, Vermont, prior to the actors' strike
Vermont State Police
Beetlejuice 2 is experiencing a theft problem on set.
On Thursday, the Vermont State Police said in a news release that they are investigating two reported thefts of items used in Tim Burton's upcoming sequel, which was filming in East Corinth, Vermont.
In one instance, the film's security team reported to police just after midnight on July 14 that someone removed "a large lamppost topped with a distinctive pumpkin decoration" and fled with the item in the back of a pickup truck. Four days later, officials from the film reported to the department that "perpetrators had stolen an approximately 150-pound abstract art statue" from a cemetery the movie was filming at.
The police department reported that the vehicle used in the first theft appeared to be "an older model GMC pickup truck," and noted that the second theft may have happened any time between 5 p.m. local time on July 13 and 11 a.m. Monday, July 17.
Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio producing the upcoming sequel, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Related: ‘Beetlejuice 2’: All About the Sequel Starring Michael Keaton and Jenna Ortega
Photo by Moviestore/Shutterstock
The stolen statue appears to match a similar item seen in 1988's original Beetlejuice: one of Delia Deetz's (Catherine O'Hara) sculptures, which comes to life toward the end of the film.
As police investigate the incidents, Beetlejuice 2 — a long sought-after sequel that PEOPLE confirmed was officially in the works in May — is not currently in production due to the ongoing actors strike against major Hollywood productions, which began on July 14.
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The sequel's filming in East Corinth, Vermont, returned the production to a location used for a number of scenes in the original movie. The independent Vermont news outlet Seven Days noted that the movie only filmed outdoor scenes in the small town.
Filming for the sequel, which will star Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega and Michael Keaton, has also taken place in July. Ryder, 51, and Ortega, 20, were spotted filming what appeared to be a wedding scene in Hertfordshire, England as recently as July 5.
Ryder is reprising her role as Lydia Deetz from the original movie; Scream and Wednesday star Ortega is billed as Lydia's daughter in the upcoming sequel.
Ryder costarred alongside Keaton, 71, plus Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones and the late Glenn Shadix in Beetlejuice, which follows a shady spirit who helps a recently deceased couple drive out an unbearable family who moved into their home. O'Hara is also expected to return for the sequel.
Monica Bellucci — who recently confirmed she is dating Burton, 64 — is among the new cast members in the sequel, which also includes Justin Theroux and Willem Dafoe, per The Hollywood Reporter. The Mafia Mamma star is set to play Beetlejuice’s wife,
Beetlejuice 2 is expected to release in theaters Sept. 6, 2024.
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