Winona Ryder confirms 'Beetlejuice 2'

NEW YORK, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Winona Ryder says Beetlejuice 2 is happening.

The 43-year-old actress confirmed as much during an appearance Monday on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Ryder hesitantly revealed the news after qualifying director Tim Burton himself told MTV News the sequel is in the works in December.

"I think I can confirm it because Tim Burton did this interview," she said. "It was very 'hush-hush, top secret, I don't know what may happen,' and then he was doing some press for Big Eyes ... and said on camera, 'Oh yeah, we're doing it and Winona's going to be in it.'"

Ryder portrayed Lydia Deetz in the original 1988 film, with Michael Keaton as the titular character, Betelgeuse. Keaton previously expressed interest in the sequel in February 2014, and Burton said he'd love to have the actor return in the December interview.

Beetlejuice sees Lydia and her parents (Catherine O'Hara and Jeffrey Jones) hire unruly ghost Betelgeuse to rid their new house of the spirits of Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis). The movie inspired an animated TV series of the same name.

Ryder last appeared in Homefront with Jason Statham, and is also scheduled for HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero and Netflix series Montauk. Burton released Big Eyes in 2014, and has an adaptation of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children in the works.