warn ! This clause control spoiler for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!Screenwriter Alfred Gough revealed thatBeetlejuice 2was once going to feature cameo from two miss original character reference , but the plan was altercate ahead of the Tim Burton movie ’s 2024 departure . amazingly , Beetlejuice Beetlejuicedoesn’t have any openhanded cameos from original characters , with the bountiful “ cameo ” show being Tim Burton ’s frequent cooperator Danny DeVito as the hereafter janitor . Rather , everyreturning original fiber inBeetlejuice 2is given a satisfying role , with some wanting figures just being referenced informally in the sequel .

While theDeetz fellowship members , Betelgeuse , and even small Jane Butterfield come back inBeetlejuice 2,the most rank absence in the continuation are Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis ’ Adam and Barbara Maitland , the 1988 moving-picture show ’s independent reference . The Maitland couple die in a tragic auto accident inBeetlejuice ’s opening successiveness , becoming ghosts who sought to frighten away the new Deetz family inhabiting their dwelling house . After the 36 twelvemonth disruption between movies , Adam and Barbara are totally absent from the continuation for good reason , given the actors ’ real - life ripening . However , they nearly got abbreviated cameo appearances before ultimately nixing the idea .

Adam & Barbara Were Originally Going To Cameo In Beetlejuice 2’s Ending – Why It Didn’t Happen

Tim Burton Decided Against The Maitlands' Cameo In Beetlejuice 2’s Ending

According to screenwriter Alfred Gough , who also collaborated with Tim Burton on Netflix’sWednesdayshow , there was once averting ofBeetlejuice 2that include cameos from Adam and Barbara . The author revealed that they discussed with the film director the possibility of Baldwin and Davis ’ characters cameoing , but Tim Burton at long last decided to turn down any cameo by the Maitlands . Gough elaborated that one musical theme had the Maitlands “ just show up at the remnant [ of Beetlejuice 2],”but that the real - populace ageing of Baldwin and Davis complicated this cameo :

“ It ’s funny with the Maitlands because we postulate Tim , and we went back and forth . There was a interlingual rendition where they just show up at the end , but the job is they ’re ghosts . So they kind of require to look like they were 35 , which was never pass to bump . I think Tim felt , and Miles and I agreed , that their story had been told . So how do we move on from that ? ”

Instead of a cameo , the writer prefer for a more abbreviated conversational nod to the Maitlands , with Lydia explain their absence seizure by revealing that Barbara and Adam “ moved on ” after finding a loophole in the afterlife ’s haunting rules . Thescript still include a cheeky nod to the struggles ofBeetlejuice 2realistically excuse the Maitlands ’ absence , as the original motion-picture show revealed that they were supposed to ghost the Winter River house for the first 125 years of their afterlife . When Astrid askswhere the Maitlands went inBeetlejuice 2 , Lydia vaguely mentions the loophole , with the stripling responding , “ How commodious . ”

Delia, Astrid, and Lydia looking at the ground in Beetlejuice 2

Warner Bros. Pictures

It ’s stillunclear how a cameo with the Maitlands would have workedinBeetlejuice 2 ’s conclusion . One choice could have been for the recently deceased Delia and Charles Deetz to encounter them in the afterlife , or perhaps the Maitlands could have been the afterlife ghosts who avail Lydia and Astrid escape back home instead of Richard . Perhaps Adam and Barbara would have pay the Deetz family a visit in the Winter River home after figure out how to allow for their 125 - year judgment of conviction , similar to the “ Jump in the Line ” music number in the originalBeetlejuiceending .

After already having seen Beetlejuice on unnumbered occasion , I in conclusion noticed a insidious detail that name Adam and Barbara ’s death very ironic .

However , the problem remains thatunless Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis were de - aged with CGI applied science , it would be quite jarring to see the Maitlands , who died in their early 30s , suddenly look to be in their LX . With an estimated$100 million budget forBeetlejuice 2 , that technology would have made for some very pricey cameos , so the decision to leave out the 1988 movie ’s touch was quite hard-nosed . As dear as the Maitlands continue to be afterBeetlejuice , Tim Burton made the correct decision to allow for them out of the subsequence and target the focus on the Deetzes .

Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) with his arms around a worried Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis) in Beetlejuice.

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.

I Love Adam & Barbara, But Bringing Them Back For Cameos Would Have Been A Mistake

The Maitlands' Story Is Already Over & Doesn’t Need To Be Rehashed

I ’m tend to agree with Tim Burton about the Maitlands having a cameo inBeetlejuice 2 , even though I adore their characters . Burton is right : the Maitlands ’ account was already told , and there ’s little elbow room to grow their characterswithout only rehashing the original movie ’s plot . It ’s crucial to recognize how influential the Maitlands were on the Deetzes ’ lives , especially when Adam and Barbara became surrogate parents to the teenage Lydia inBeetlejuice ’s 1988 closing , but that was also 36 years ago .

Adam and Barbara had been stalk the dome for 10 while the Deetzes left and lived their life – the way forward for the two ghosts is to have their spirits move on to the Great Beyond , not to save Lydia and Astrid by go up against Betelgeuse again . I have to allow thatbringing back the Maitlands for cameo simply would have been an act of fan service , a trap that the other numerouscallbacks and references inBeetlejuice 2largely avoided .

Geena Davis ’s Barbara Maitland does n’t return in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice , but she does have a surprising role in another one of 2024 ’s honorable movies .

Beetlejuice Alec Baldwin as Adam and Geena Davis as Barbara Maitland

Not only would it have been lover service , but their cameos would have been distracting from the core familial news report at the warmness of the themes inBeetlejuice 2 ’s ending . The Maitlands have a cameo would n’t elevate the messages ofBeetlejuice 2 ’s resolution and thereconciliation between Lydia and Astrid . In reality , it in all probability would have done the opposite , astheir cameos may have undermined the audiences ’ focusing on the answer of the Deetzes ’ genetic conflictsand shared hurt from their experiences with Betelgeuse .

There ’s no aim in bringing them back for what would in all probability only be one moment in the concluding act just for … lover of the originalBeetlejuiceto point at the sieve like Leonardo DiCaprio in thatOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodmeme .

If Adam and Barbara appear inBeetlejuice 2 ’s ending , they would have become the main talking point of the third human action . Delia ’s death , Astrid and Lydia ’s rapprochement , and the dark reality of Lydia still being tormented by imaginativeness of Betelgeuse would be overlooked by the bombination about the Maitlands . There ’s no design in bring them back for what would belike only be one second in the final bit just for the twosome to reunite with Lydia and for fans of the originalBeetlejuiceto point at the silver screen like Leonardo DiCaprio in thatOnce Upon a fourth dimension in Hollywoodmeme .

Geena-Davis-in-Beetlejuice

Biggest Missing Original Characters In Beetlejuice 2

Character

Actor

Lydia (Winona Ryder) on her TV show “Ghost House with Lydia Deetz” in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Adam Maitland

Alec Baldwin

Barbara Maitland

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Film Poster

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.

Geena Davis

Otho

Glenn Shadix

Headshot Of Michael Keaton In The Los Angeles Special Screening Of ‘Knox Goes Away’

Jane Butterfield

Annie McEnroe

Maxie Dean

Headshot Of Winona Ryder In The Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

Robert Goulet

Juno

Sylvia Sidney

Article image

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice stars Michael Keaton as the titular “bio-exorcist”, an obnoxious spirit who specializes in driving living occupants out of homes. When Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die suddenly, they pass into the spirit realm, and must stay in their home. However, in the living world, the Deetz family purchases the house and moves in, prompting the Maitlands to enlist the help of Beetlejuice to drive them away.

Adam and Barbara ’s stories have been told andBeetlejuice 2 ’s focus is on the Deetzes . The sequel ’s story makes it too unmanageable to beguile yet another subplot in order of magnitude to bring in the Maitlands , and , honestly , Adam and Barbara ’s legacy merit more than just a lover - service cameo . If they ca n’t realistically be worked into the chief plot of ground , then it ’s best to but honor their memories in the sequel while impress onward into the deep theme and conflicts of the Deetzes instead .

There Are Still Some Adam & Barbara Details In Beetlejuice 2 That I’m Disappointed In

Their Deeper Impact On Lydia’s Life Goes Unrecognized

Though I ’m relieved that the twomissing originalBeetlejuicecharactersdidn’t have a throwaway cameo , I ’m still get out a bit thwarted that certain aspects of their narration were n’t address . Lydia reveals that the Maitlands ’ ghosts “ be active on , ” butthere ’s no point of reference to how her relationship with the span developed after the original motion-picture show , even though they seemed to be diddle a more active role in raising her than Charles and Delia . Additionally , there ’s no reading of how long the Maitlands have been out of the Winter River house – or what exactly the loophole is that permit them to leave alone .

Small figurines of the Maitlands can briefly be seen stnding in the river in the Winter River business firm ’s town model inBeetlejuice 2 .

It ’s hard to imagine that Lydia became famous for her ability to see shade and even start a talking show based around the Maitlands ’ “ Ghost House ” dome and did n’t keep tabs on them over the years . While the Maitlands could have fled the Winter River home shortly after Lydia fine-tune high school day and presumptively exit town , they were still incredibly authoritative figures in her adolescence and the inhalation for her grownup vocation . Adam and Barbara did n’t postulate to have cameo , but it wasdisappointing that their personal influence on Lydia look take as a teen was n’t addressedinBeetlejuice 2 .

Headshot Of Catherine O’Hara

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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a revulsion - clowning that involve ghosts trying to pall off newfangled homebuyers from assume their house . The subsequence brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions , now link by Jenna Ortega in a new role .

Tim Burton ’s Beetlejuice asterisk Michael Keaton as the nominal " bio - exorciser " , an objectionable tone who particularise in driving living occupants out of homes . When Barbara ( Geena Davis ) and Adam Maitland ( Alec Baldwin ) become flat dead , they pass into the spirit kingdom , and must detain in their habitation . However , in the living world , the Deetz family purchases the house and moves in , prompting the Maitlands to draft the help of Beetlejuice to drive them aside .

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