Warning: Spoilers ahead for Beetlejuice 2!Tim Burton set his sights on a certain celebrity for a cameo role in Beetlejuice 2, which would have also solved a major mystery surrounding the afterlife. The Beetlejuice franchise's Neitherworld is explored on a grander scale in Burton's sequel, expanding the realm and introducing new faces who work down there. Of course, the return of the afterlife also paves the way for more new characters in Beetlejuice 2, including those who have died in very strange ways. Aside from Juno and Miss Argentina, most of the dead are seen as ghosts in the Neitherworld waiting room, but that part of the lore gets an upgrade in the sequel.
Between Beetlejuice and Beetlejuice 2, Betelgeuse became an Afterlife Call Center Manager with his own office of workers, who also happen to be "Shrinkers." The waiting room still exists, which Charles and Delia both visit after their respective deaths, but the sequel also shows off other areas of the afterlife, including Wolf Jackson's office, the Immigration area, and the Soul Train platform. While various characters, dead and undead, wander around the realm, Beetlejuice 2 showcases many people who have recently entered the afterlife, and one of those characters was nearly played by a celebrity.
Tim Burton Wanted Joey Chestnut To Play Beetlejuice 2's Dead Hot Dog Contest Eater – Why The Cameo Didn't Work Out
Beetlejuice 2 Nearly Included A Fun Cameo Appearance
During Tim Burton's Beetlejuice 2 commentary feature, the director speaks about the creative nature of developing the latest batch of dead people seen in the afterlife. Among the group is a man who died during a hot dog-eating contest, one of the first afterlife characters Burton created, and someone Betelgeuse is sitting next to while in the waiting room in the sequel. Burton's Beetlejuice 2 commentary reveals he actually wanted famous hot dog contest eater Joey Chestnut to play the afterlife character, but the competitor was too busy training for an upcoming event.
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Burton shared that he was inspired by Chestnut's record-breaking events when creating afterlife characters, so he decided to add someone who died as a result of eating too many hot dogs. When Beetlejuice 2 started filming, Chestnut would've been prepping to compete in the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest held every Fourth of July. After winning for the sixteenth time with 62 hot dogs, Chestnut got to work training for 2024 events. Though he was banned from the Nathan's event due to his partnership with a competitive brand, Chestnut went head-to-head with rival Takeru Kobayashi in September 2024 for a live Netflix event.
Joey Chestnut's Cameo Would Have Followed Up Beetlejuice's Original Famous Ghost Detail
What Happens To Celebrities In The Afterlife?
It's unclear if Joey Chestnut would've agreed to play a dead version of himself, poking fun at the dangers of his competitive eating career, but Burton's cameo hopes bring up an interesting point about the afterlife. Miss Argentina was the only "famous" dead person present in the original movie's afterlife. Due to her suicide, she was forced to be a civil servant. Wolf Jackson also has an important job, though the sequel doesn't explain how he acquired the role as a detective. Having a famous person like Joey Chestnut play a dead version of themselves could have provided more insight into the afterlife, like what happens to celebrities (real or fictional) who die accidentally.
Joey Chestnut's appearance as a dead world record-holding hot dog-eating champion would've made for a hilarious cameo that only someone like Burton could cook up.
Delia is a famous artist, but as seen in the waiting room, she's not treated any differently than other members of the dead. With confusion surrounding the civil servant rules in Beetlejuice 2 and the presence of dead celebrities, a fun cameo would have been a fitting way to clarify aspects of the Neitherworld. Even if that weren't the case or intention, Joey Chestnut's appearance as a dead world record-holding hot dog-eating champion would've made for a hilarious cameo that only someone like Burton could cook up.
Source: Beetlejuice 2 director's commentary (via WB's digital release)
Release Date September 6, 2024
Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
Writers Alfred Gough , Miles Millar , Mike Vukadinovich , Seth Grahame-Smith , Michael McDowell , Larry Wilson
Runtime 104 Minutes
English (US) ·