Michael Keaton’s ghost with the most is set to return inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice,but director Tim Burton has explained why his original spectral co-stars will not be joining him. Set 36 years after the originalBeetlejuicemovie, Burton’s new sequel will see Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara reprising the roles of Lydia and Delia Deetz. However, in April this year, Geena Davis confirmed that neither she nor Alec Baldwin would be returning to reprise the roles of Barbara and Adam Maitland.
Talking withPeopleahead ofBeetlejuice Beetlejuice’sUS release, Burton explained his decision to leave Baldwin and Davis out of the sequel. Suggesting thathe wanted to focus on a new story that did not involve the Maitlands, Burton admitted that his approach involved avoiding the temptation to simply “tick boxes.” Instead, the director insists that the new movie’s main emphasis is on thethree generations of Deetz women, including Delia’s daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), and the time that has passed since the first movie. Check out his comments below:
I think the thing was for me I didn’t want to just tick any boxes. So even though they were such an amazing integral part of the first one, I was focusing on something else.
A sequel like this, it really had to do with the time. That was my hook into it, the three generations of mother, daughter, granddaughter. And that [would] be the nucleus of it. I couldn’t have made this personally back in 1989 or whatever.
Beetlejuice 2 Does Not Need The Maitlands To Return
Adam & Barbara Deserve To Be At Peace
While the Maitlands’ absence fromBeetlejuice Beetlejuicemay disappoint some original fans, Burton’s decision is not particularly surprising given the amount of time that has passed. Though Keaton’s age difference is largely hidden behind his character’s distinct makeup, it would have been muchharder for Davis and Baldwin to return to their ghostly characters. As Davis herself pointed out, the pair’s “characters were stuck the way they looked when they died forever,”potentially making their return far more difficult.
However, withBeetlejuice Beetlejuicerevealing that the Maitlands' house had been left deserted for years, there would have been no reason for the pair to remain behind after Delia eventually grew up and left home.
In theory, it may have been possible forBurton to apply the same kind of digital de-aging technologythat is being increasingly used in other major blockbusters, but this approach would have significantly undermined his emphasis on practical effects. However, practical consideration aside, perhaps the biggest reason theMaitlands do not return inBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceis their story has already been successfully told. With the originalBeetlejuiceending showing the pair coming to terms with their deaths, the spectral couple went on to share their house with the Deetz family during Delia’s teenage years.
However, withBeetlejuice Beetlejuicerevealing that the Maitlands' house had been left deserted for years, there would have been no reason for the pair to remain behind after Delia eventually grew up and left home. Instead, it is likely the pair would have found a way for their souls to attain the eternal peace they so richly deserved. Yet while Barbara and Adam may no longer haunt the Deetz’s home, their continued influence will likely continue to be felt as Lydia returns with her own daughter in tow.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Cast
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
