Beetlejuice 2 is closing in on its release date, marking Michael Keaton’s return as Beetlelguese after 36 years. However, since the movie was announced, people have been wondering if Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin will return as the Maitlands or not. They both played the protagonists of Beetlejuice where they die in an accident and are trapped in their house as ghosts. When a family moves into their house, they are forced to summon Beetlelguese to scare them away. Recently Tim Burton confirmed that Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin will not return in Beetlejuice 2. Here’s why.
What Does Tim Burton Have to Say About This?
Tim Burton recently had a conversation with People, where he told them that he did not just want to “Tick Boxes” and go with a new story that does not involve the Maitlands. He said that he wanted to make a movie that brings forth the story of the three generations of Deetz women and focuses majorly on Astrid played by Jenna Ortega. In his comments, he stated-
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.
So, there is the reason Tim Burton gives for not including them in Beetlejuice 2 but that’s not it. The absence of Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis in the movie makes sense as well because of certain factors we will talk about next.
Beetlejuice 2 Don’t Have The Maitlands For All Logical Reasons
Even though it might be a bit of a letdown to fans who have been a fan of the original movie, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin not reprising their role as The Maitlands makes complete logical sense in the broader aspect of things. If you recall, it was made clear in the first movie itself that both the ghosts cannot age no matter how long they are trapped in the house.
However, if the actors have to lay the characters once again in 2024, it would be extremely difficult to make it seem as if they have not aged from the last time they were seen on screen. In the case of Micheal Keaton, with all the makeup he has to wear to play Beetleguese, it’s relatively easier to make him look the same but that is not possible in the case of Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin.
Now one might argue that the VFX team could have easily used the digital de-aging technology that is quite prevalent these days. However, doing that would turn out to be expensive, affecting the practical effects of the movie. On top of that, another reason for the Maitlands to not be a part of Beetlejuice 2 is that their story has been told. By the end of Beetlejuice, we see that they have decided to share the house with the Deetz family and look after Delia in her teenage years.
Now, in the very trailers of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, were were told that the house has been empty for years telling us that the Deetz have left it and now that Delia is not around, it would make no sense for The Maitlands to stay back. So, that is a subtle hint towards them moving permanently to the afterlife. I agree, that if they were in the movie, it would be a really good nostalgia trip but for all logical reasons, they cannot be.
So, let’s wait till September 6, 2024, to find out what new story is waiting for us with Beetlejuice 2. Till then, stay tuned with us for further updates!
Aparna Ukil
