Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice arrives over three decades after the original, and, while it does have some returning cast members, the film will also introduce new characters. For example, esteemed actor Willem Dafoe will join the sequel in a brand-new role.

In a new interview with Empire, Willem Dafoe opened up about his upcoming role in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The four-time Academy Award-nominated actor has proven his chameleon skills in different films and genres, switching from drama and horror to superhero films, always bringing his best. Willem Dafoe confirmed his Beetlejuice Beetlejuice character late last year, detailing that he will play one of the dead characters.

Dafoe later admitted he regretted oversharing details about his Beetlejuice character. However, now it feels like everything has changed, as the film’s premiere is getting closer. The actor will play Wolf Jackson, a former actor turned head of the Afterlife Crimes Unit following his death. “It’s not a normal role,” Dafoe admitted.

“The most important thing for me was to find the tone. It had to be rooted but it also had to be free enough that you could play with it,” Dafoe explained, noting that he took inspiration from his co-star Michael Keaton, who plays the titular character. “I take my cue off of him. You take your cue off of the world.”

“It’s beautiful,” Burton explained to the outlet about the newcomers, which also included Dafoe, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, and Monica Belucci. “Having all these people, and also Justin, Monica, and Willem… it felt very special for me.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Will Bring Back Its Key Characters

Tim Burton returns with the horror comedy, 36 years after the first one premiered in 1989. The smartly titled sequel will have multiple stars from the original reprising their characters, including Michael Keaton, who plays the beloved Betelgeuse, Winona Ryder playing an older Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara, who returns as Delia Deetz. “It was like he was possessed by a demon because he just went right back into it,” director Tim Burton told the same outlet about Keaton’s seamless return to his character.

Keaton himself previously praised the upcoming sequel, noting that, “I love it. I absolutely love this thing,” he said. “And I don’t (usually) talk like that. I unabashedly love this. It was not easy to pull off, and I think we did it in spades.”

However, the audience will surely feel the absence of a key couple: Barbara and Adam Maitland, played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, who are not returning for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Burton hopes to have everyone entertained with the newcomers, Justin Theroux plays a human named Rory, Monica Belluci will play Beetlejuice’s wife, and Dafoe will play the ghost detective.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hits theaters on Sept. 6.