‘Beetlejuice 2’: What would the Tim Burton sequel look like?

If you say the name three times, will it appear? “Beetlejuice 2” doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as easily as plain old “Beetlejuice,” but momentum appears to be gaining for the movie just the same.

Tim Burton and Michael Keaton both are reportedly likely to return for the sequel to the beloved supernatural comedy, which became a box office hit and a cultural touchstone 25 years ago.

The original paved the way for Keaton and Burton’s pairing on “Batman” and “Batman Returns.” Given how those movies helped inspire the modern era of comic-book filmmakers, could this sequel be a demented commentary on the current state of Hollywood?

SNEAKS: Movie trailers, full coverage

The answer will be held in part by “Pride and Predjudice and Zombies” novelist Seth Grahame-Smith, who has been writing the script for the new film. Grahame-Smith wrote Burton’s “Dark Shadows” adaptation as well as the Burton-produced “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” along with David Katzenberg.

No word yet on whether any of Keaton’s costars from the original, which included Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, might be back as well.

Keaton will be seen in the upcoming “Robocop” reboot as well as Broadway-themed “Birdman” (incidentally, a movie in which he riffs on his Batman past, playing a washed-up actor who made his name as an on-screen superhero). Burton, meanwhile, recently finished shooting “Big Eyes,” the story of kitsch artist Margaret Keane and her husband, Walter, starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. He has been scheduled to next direct “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.”

The director was recently nominated for an Oscar for his animated feature with “Frankenweenie,” based on his 1984 short. The “Beetlejuice” news, then, finds Burton again mining his own catalog for inspiration.

Also:

Tim Burton’s regeneration of ‘Frankenweenie’ is a personal tale

Seth Grahame-Smith wants to resurrect ‘Bettlejuice,’ ‘It’

Michael Keaton’s dark memories of ‘Batman’ and shining love for ‘Beetlejuice’

Follow Mark Olsen on Twitter: @IndieFocus