Early Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Script Had a Cameo From Fan-Favorite Characters

As a long-time fan of Tim Burton’s quirky, dark, and delightful world, I must admit that watching “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” without the presence of Adam and Barbara Maitland felt like a piece of my childhood was missing. Their characters were integral to the original film, providing both heart and humor. However, I understand the logistical challenges in bringing them back 34 years later looking as they did in 1988.

The newly released movie, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” has returned many significant elements that made the original “Beetlejuice” a hit, including director Tim Burton and stars Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton. However, unlike the first film, Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, who played Adam and Barbara Maitland respectively, did not return to reprise their roles. Initially, there were ideas to have them appear as cameos, but due to the complexities of maintaining their original appearances from 1988 and focusing on other characters, these plans were abandoned. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is now showing in cinemas.

Gough shared with Entertainment Weekly that the Maitlands were tricky because when they asked Tim, there was a lot of back-and-forth discussion. One idea was to have them appear at the end, but since they’re ghosts, making them look like they were 35 was an issue. Tim, along with cowriter Miles, felt that their story had already been told, so they needed a way to progress beyond that.

In contrast to the first “Beetlejuice” movie that primarily centered around the Maitlands’ journey into the afterlife, the creators of the sequel chose to shift their focus towards the Deetz family instead.

Gough emphasized that the initial film primarily revolves around the Maitlands. He went on to say that Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis were essentially the main characters, as it was their actions (summoning Beetlegeuse against the Deetz family) that drove the plot. Therefore, he wanted to give more attention to them in his analysis.

He added, “He wasn’t interested in doing fan service or being slavish … So I think he was very much about, how do we tell the next iteration of the story?”

WARNING: Minor spoilers for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice below

In the sequel, the Maitlands aren’t completely overlooked; instead, there’s a scene where Lydia verifies that she discovered a way or exception, which they utilized to pass over.

In Gough’s explanation, he implies that we subtly referenced the Maitlands with a humorous line where Astrid said, “How convenient!” Instead, he suggested that we should avoid any further references to them since they no longer appear in the story. So, our focus should be on moving forward without revisiting their past presence.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is in theaters now.

Are you hoping that the Maitlands played a bigger role in the film? Reach out to Patrick Cavanaugh on Twitter or Instagram for discussions about Star Wars and horror!

2024-09-07 02:09

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