A few days after Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, it will be released nationally on September 5.

Keaton, 72, was in just 17 minutes of the original 1988 comedy horror film, which also starred Winona Ryder and Geena Davis.

Directed by Tim Burton, Keaton is back as the ghost with the most pick ups with Ryder’s Lydia Deetz, now the host of a paranormal TV show called Ghost House and the mother of angsty teenager Astrid, played by Jenna Ortega (Wednesday).

Sequels are always tricky, but Keaton has been on the promotional tour saying this one may be better than his ’80s hit.

“The only thing I worried about was, should we have left it alone … should we have just said … ‘Don’t touch it. Just walk away. Go make your other movies,’ which we did,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

“So, for me, it was a big roll of the dice.

“This one may even be better because it’s got actually a stronger story, it kind of is emotional, the cast is stupid good.

“To remake something that you didn’t even know might work the first time is really hard.”

Willem Dafoe plays Afterlife policeman Wolf Jackson, Monica Bellucci plays Beetlejuice’s demonic ex-wife Delores and Justin Theroux is Deetz’s boyfriend and TV producer Rory.

“At the end of the day, if somebody said you have to pick one thing you’ve done how I make my living, I’d probably pick Beetlejuice for its all-encompassing thing.

“Just its art, you know what I mean? … I’ve been in some, you know, pretty good movies, but this [the sequel] is something different.”

A Horse Named Winx, September 5

Directed by Janine Hosking (My Khmer Heart, Knowing the Score) and written and narrated by Melbourne journalist and author Andrew Rule, this is the story of one of Australia’s greatest racehorses.

The film promises to go behind the sports headlines and big wins to reveal Winx, known during her heyday as the “people’s horse”, says Screen Hub.

During her reign, huge crowds descended on racetracks across Australia to witness the Phar Lap of the modern era pull off the impossible, 33 straight wins.

Her final race was watched by a world television audience in its millions, and as sports commentator, Bruce McAvaney, noted, “We’ve never had a horse mean so much to so many people.”

Winx’s only foal sold this year at auction for a world record $10 million dollars.

Thelma, September 5

Oscar nominee June Squibb plays Thelma Post, a feisty 93-year-old grandmother who gets conned by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson (The White Lotus’ Fred Hechinger).

She sets out on a treacherous quest across Los Angeles, accompanied by an ageing friend (Richard Roundtree) and his motorised scooter, to reclaim what was taken from her.

In the first leading film role of her 70-year career, Squibb portrays the strong-willed Thelma with grit and determination.

Runt, September 12

Craig Silvey’s best-selling novel leaps onto the big screen in a new Australian family movie starring Wellmania‘s Celeste Barber, Jai Courtney and Jack Thompson.

The stars of the show are the dog, named Runt, and newcomer, Lilly LaTorre who she adopts.

When money struggles hit the family farm, the pair aspire to win a massive prize in the agility course championships at the prestigious Krumpets Dog Show in London.

Speak No Evil, September 12

Starring Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis and James McAvoy, this is a remake of a Danish horror flick about a family who take a dream holiday at an idyllic country house, only to have their stay turn into a psychological nightmare.

The movie’s action moves to England, the Danish family are American tourists, and significant chunks of the plot are in the trailer.

The Wild Robot, September 19

A futuristic robot named Rozzum 7134 (“Roz” for short) washes ashore on a deserted island.

A tale of survival and discovery begins when she becomes the unexpected protector of an orphan gosling, which she names Brightbill.

Together they struggle to survive the harsh environment, but they only succeed with the help of a close-knit group of misfit animals, who become first friends, then family.

Megalopolis, September 26

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola – the film had its first screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival last month – and starring Dustin Hoffman, Adam Driver and Aubrey Plaza, this long-awaited futuristic sci-fi drama runs over two hours.

Also cast are Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman and Shia LaBeouf.

Megalopolis is a Roman epic set in an imagined modern America, the official synopsis states.

“The city of new Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare.

“Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero, the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.”