Are Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin not returning for Beetlejuice 2?
On Thursday, May 23, Warner Bros. Pictures released the trailer for the sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Considering that the original film is about old enough to start a presidential campaign, we all knew that the sequel would be different.
But Geena Davis and the ever-controversial Alec Baldwin were both memorable, central characters to the first film.
Why is there no sign of them in the Beetlejuice sequel?
Will ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ not feature Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis?
Beetlejuice was an instant, memorable hit in 1988.
Though many younger Millennial viewers may better remember the animated series (in which the titular character was more of a rascal best friend than an antagonist), the film left a mark upon popular culture. Many of its stars remain beloved acting icons to this day.
In the original, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin portray a pair of ghosts. The couple haunt and ultimately befriend the living family that moves into their home — particularly the daughter, Lydia. Winona Ryder of course portrays Lydia.
As you can see from the trailer that Warner Bros. Pictures dropped on Thursday, May 23, the sequel film is clearly a blast from the past.
Even though we have all seen Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Michael Keaton in recent projects, for many, this film was the first piece of media where people saw them.
But Geena Davis is also alive and working on both television and film. And even if one were to ignore Alec Baldwin’s most infamous recent film, he, too, is alive and working. Yet there’s no sign of them in the trailer or in any other materials related to the sequel.
In case you need a ‘Beetlejuice’ refresher
In the original film, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin portray Barbara and Adam Maitland (respectively). The two die at the start of the film, becoming ghosts residing in their home.
When the Deetz family moves in, they first attempt to frighten away the family. Later, they recruit the titular Beetlejuice — a trickster demon — in the hopes of evicting the living from their home.
Ultimately, the two become surrogate parents to the living family’s daughter, Lydia. The famous sequence of her flying at the end is a little indulgence from her ghostly pals.
Tim Burton helmed that film 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 seemingly be the one summoning Beetlejuice this time around.
We searched high and low for any glimmer of a report or a social media hint about Geena Davis or Alec Baldwin reprising their roles. And yet there’s not a whisper of either.
There are, ultimately, two explanations for why we might not see Davis or Baldwin appear at all in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
The first, and most irritating, would be the reality of actors aging 35 years when ghosts clearly should not. A creative team can address that — as Star Trek: Picard did with Q — but it’s an obstacle. Michael Keaton’s character looked like a busted clown in 1988 and will look the same in 2024, so it’s not a problem for him at all.
But the second possibility is that it’s more personal. If, for example, Alec Baldwin’s recent drama (an understatement) made the studio wary of controversy.
That said … just because these two aren’t in the main cast doesn’t have to mean that we won’t see them. It’s always possible that we could see Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin in cameo roles. Regardless, we’re sure that the absence of their ghostly characters will get an explanation.
