According to the Vermont State Police, a “large lamppost topped with a distinctive pumpkin decoration” and a “150-pound abstract art statue” went missing from the “Beetlejuice 2” set between July 13 and July 17, 2023. In the case of the latter, the police posted two photos, confirming the statue in question either is, or closely resembles, one of the art pieces designed by Catherine O’Hara’s Delia Deetz in the original “Beetlejuice.” In that film, the artist’s sculptures eventually come to life during Beetlejuice’s wedding to Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), and it looks like they’re back for the sequel — at least they were, before this one was stolen.
Meanwhile, in a dazzlingly unsubtle display of criminality, the lamppost prop was, according to VT State Police, loaded into “a pickup truck” and covered with a tarp, before the truck in question “fled at a high rate of speed.” There’s nothing to indicate that the theft will impact the film’s production, but with everything shut down for the time being, there’s not much else that could slow things down further.
Warner Bros. had reportedly scheduled “Beetlejuice 2” for a September 6, 2024 release, but that will likely shift now. Variety previously reported that principal photography on “Beetlejuice 2” was almost complete prior to the strike action, though there was still “one last sequence” yet to be filmed in East Corinth. Otherwise, the production has been shooting over in London. For now, we’ll just have to await further updates and ponder just what whoever stole that statue plans to do with it.