The long-awaited sequel to Beetlejuice will have its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in August.

Tim Burton’s fantasy sequel, titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, will open the Italian festival and screen out of competition on Wednesday 28 August, just over a week before its general cinema release.

“I’m very excited by this. It means a lot to me to have the world premiere of this film at the Venice Film Festival,” Burton said in a statement.

The film sees the director reunite with many of the original cast of his 1988 horror comedy, with Michael Keaton returning as the devious bio-exorcist ghost alongside Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara as Lydia and Delia Deetz.

New cast members include Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice marks the long-awaited return of one of the most iconic characters of Tim Burton’s cinema, but also the happy confirmation of the extraordinary visionary talent and the masterly realisation of one of the most fascinating auteurs of his time,” added Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera. “The Venice Biennale is honoured and proud to host the world premiere of a work that features a surprising swing of creative imagination and driving hallucinatory rhythm.”

The news indicates a return of the glitz, glamour and star power of the prestigious festival, which was hampered last year by the actors’ strike.

The full film line-up will be unveiled on 23 July. The 81st Venice Film Festival runs between 28 August and 7 September.

© Cover Media