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This is why Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis aren’t in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

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This is why Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis aren't in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

As a seasoned gamer and movie enthusiast with over three decades of experience under my belt, I can confidently say that the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice on Max was as inevitable as the sunrise. The anticipation for this sequel to the 1988 horror-comedy classic has been palpable amongst fans for years. And boy, did it deliver!

The Tim Burton film “Beetlejuice” debuted on Max on December 6th, quickly becoming the top movie on the platform as of December 9th. Surprised by this? Absolutely not! Fans have eagerly anticipated this sequel to the 1988 horror classic for quite some time now. After a theater release in September, the hit blend of horror and comedy has finally arrived on Max three months later. It’s the movie that everyone seems to be captivated by, and we can certainly see why.

In the sequel titled “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice“, the story unfolds years after the original film, focusing on Lydia Deetz as an adult. She now runs a paranormal talk show called “Ghost House”. Her boyfriend, Rory, appears to be quite charming, but she has a strained relationship with her teenage daughter, Astrid, whom she’s not close to.

Following news from her stepmother Delia that a family member has perished, Lydia abruptly leaves her current activities and heads back to Winter River with Rory and Astrid. Upon arrival, she attends the funeral of their deceased loved one and ponders how to handle their old residence. However, matters take a dismal turn when an unintended gateway to the spirit realm is inadvertently activated. Eventually, the well-known bio-exorcist, Beetlejuice, is summoned for assistance; predictably, he adds to the Deetz family’s difficulties.

In the sequel, many actors from the 1988 movie reappeared, including Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara. However, some original cast members like Jeffrey Jones, Alec Baldwin, and Geena Davis did not come back for the new film. It is speculated that Jones was absent due to legal issues, but the reasons behind Baldwin and Davis not returning are less clear. Here’s what we can gather about their non-participation in the sequel.

This is why Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis aren't in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

In the movie “Beetlejuice” (1988), Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis portray Adam and Barbara Maitland. After a heartbreaking car accident causes their demise, they come back as spirits, finding themselves confined to their residence. When an innovative family, known as the Deetz, purchase and start renovating their house, the Maitlands attempt to scare them off unsuccessfully. Eventually, they resort to summoning Beetlejuice, a disruptive bio-exorcist, for help.

In the final scene of “Beetlejuice”, the Maitlands and Deetz family reach a harmonious agreement to share their home together in peace. Given that Adam and Barbara had a positive resolution in the initial movie, one might wonder why they couldn’t reappear in “Beetlejuice Sequel”.

In an August 2024 interview with People, director Tim Burton explained that he chose not to include Alec Baldwin and Angela Bassett in the sequel because he wanted to explore a fresh narrative that didn’t revolve around the Maitlands. He shared, “I didn’t want to simply check off any boxes. Though they were such an integral part of the first film, I was concentrating on something new.

Spoilers from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ahead.

In the sequel, viewers learn about the fates of Adam and Barbara, even though they aren’t present in the movie. A scene reveals this when Astrid queries Lydia about her former spectral roommates. Lydia explains that these ghosts exploited a loophole to break free from their house prison and transition into the afterlife.

As per one of the writers for the film, Alfred Gough, it was originally planned for Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis to make brief appearances in the movie “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”. However, this idea was eventually dropped. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in September 2024, Gough revealed that in a preliminary draft of the sequel, characters Adam and Barbara were intended to appear at the end of the movie. He explained to EW, “The Maitlands’ appearances are amusing because we discussed it with Tim [Burton] and went back and forth. There was a version where they just appeared at the end, but the issue is that they’re ghosts. So they needed to appear as if they were still around 35, which was never going to happen.

It seems there are two explanations for Baldwin and Davis not being in the sequel. First, they needed to fit the part (being in their mid-30s), as Baldwin is 66 years old and Davis is 68 in reality. Second, Burton didn’t want to emphasize their characters anymore since he felt that Adam and Barbara’s story had already been fully told in the initial film.

You can stream Beetlejuice Beetlejuice now only on Max.

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2024-12-10 03:25

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