Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin will not return for Beetlejuice 2?
Since Warner Bros. Pictures released the trailer for the sequel, Beetlejuice Beetle JuiceFans have been digging for spoilers. Considering the original film is old enough to start a presidential campaign, we all knew the sequel would be different.
But Geena Davis and the ever controversial Alec Baldwin both were memorable and central characters in the first film.
Why is there no sign of them in the Beetle juice continuation? To be honest, it would have been impossible.
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’: Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis Won’t Return Because Tim Burton Didn’t Want Them To
Beetle juice was an instant and memorable hit in 1988.
While many younger millennial viewers may remember the animated series best (in which the titular character was more of a scoundrel best friend than an antagonist), the film left a mark on popular culture. Many of its stars remain beloved acting icons to this day.
In the original, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin play a pair of ghosts. The couple haunts and eventually befriends the living family that moves into their home—particularly the daughter, Lydia. Winona Ryder, of course, plays Lydia.
As you can see in the trailer that Warner Bros. Pictures released on Thursday, May 23, the film’s sequel is clearly a trip down memory lane, and many of the original stars are back, including Catherine O’Hara and Michael Keaton as the titular star.
But Geena Davis is also alive and working in television and film. And even if one were to ignore Alec Baldwin’s most infamous film recentlyhe is also alive and working. Still, there is no sign of them in the trailer or any other material related to the sequel.
And that’s exactly how director and creator Tim Burton wanted it.
“I think the thing was, for me, I didn’t want to just check any boxes. So even though they were an incredible integral part of the first one, I was focusing on something else,” Burton explained in an interview ahead of the film’s release.
Why Alec and Geena Were Fired From the ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel
“A sequence like that really felt of the time,” Burton added.
That was my hook for it, the three generations of mother, daughter, granddaughter. And that (would be) the core of it. I couldn’t have done that personally in 1989 or something.”
In the original film, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin play Barbara and Adam Maitland (respectively). They both die early in the film, becoming ghosts who reside in their home.
When the Deetz family moves in, they first try to scare the family. Later, they recruit the titular Beetlejuice—a trickster demon—in the hopes of driving the living out of their home.
In the end, the two become surrogate parents to the living family’s daughter, Lydia. The famous sequence of her flying at the end is a small indulgence from her ghostly friends.
Tim Burton directed that movie and this one. The movie clearly has enough money to add new (legendary) actors like Willem Dafoe and Danny DeVito.
Not to mention Jenna Ortega, who will apparently be the one responsible for summoning Beetlejuice this time around.
Geena Davis talks about the sequel to Beetlejuice
Before Tim clarified why the stars weren’t invited back, there were two prevailing explanations for why we didn’t see Davis or Baldwin appear in Beetlejuice Beetle Juice.
The first possibility seemed personal. If, for example, Alec Baldwin’s recent drama (an understatement) left the studio wary of controversy.
But the second and most annoying thing was the reality of actors aging 35 years when ghosts clearly shouldn’t. A creative team can deal with that — like Star Trek: Picard did with Q — but it’s a hurdle. Michael Keaton’s character looked like a broke clown in 1988 and will look the same in 2024, so it’s not a problem for him.
And that’s where Geena comes in.
“No, I’m not. I’m not in the remake,” Davis revealed to AND when asked about the sequence.
“Oh, you expected me to? Yeah, no, you know what? Because my theory is that ghosts don’t age… Not that I do,” she added with a laugh.
But you know what? With all that said, even if they don’t appear in the film, we’d suspect that something would come out of their story still. We’re sure that the absence of their ghostly characters will have an explanation.