It seems that Geena Davis may not be returning for Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice 2 is finally happening and will hit theaters on September 6, 2024. Alongside the director, Beetlejuice 2 is bringing back original actors like Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara to reprise their roles from the 1988 hit. The returning faces will also be ed by Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, and Monica Bellucci as new characters in the world of the living and the afterlife.
With so many casting announcements that include the likes of Keaton, O’Hara, and Ryder, it hasn’t gone unnoticed that a few crucial original Beetlejuice actors are missing from the excitement. So far, there has been no confirmation about whether Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin will return for Beetlejuice 2, with the actors having portrayed the main recently-deceased characters Barbara and Adam Maitland in the original movie. While Davis has expressed interest in returning for a Beetlejuice sequel in the past, the actress understands the logistics behind why the Matilands might not be ing Beetlejuice and the Deetz family on their next misadventure.
Geena Davis Is Right: Beetlejuice 2 Would Have A Difficult Time Explaining Adam & Barbara's Aging
In response to the queries about her absence from Beetlejuice 2’s casting announcements, Barbara actress Geena Davis told People Magazine that she would love to play the character again, but it might not make sense. Explaining why Barbara and Adam may not return, the actress noted, “I have a feeling ghosts don’t age. How would they explain that they’re older?” In the original Beetlejuice movie, Barbara and Adam died when they were seemingly in their late 20s or early 30s, so Davis is right that it would be jarring to see the ghosts suddenly look approximately 65 years old. Given Beetlejuice didn’t look his 600 years in the 1988 movie, the Maitlands’ aging in the afterlife would be difficult to justify.
Why Barbara & Adam's Ghost Returns Would Be More Complicated Than Michael Keaton's Beetlejuice
Since Michael Keaton is returning as the poltergeist Beetlejuice after 35 years, his casting would seemingly open the door for Davis and Baldwin to also reprise their ghostly roles. However, Keaton’s aging over the past several decades would arguably be far less noticeable than that of Davis and Baldwin in Beetlejuice 2. Keaton’s Beetlejuice was coated in white makeup and face paint to give him a long-deceased appearance in the 1988 movie, which will presumably be exaggerated further in the sequel.
The poltergeist’s heavy makeup in Beetlejuice 2 can help disguise the actor’s aging, but this wouldn’t be the same case for Barbara and Adam, who are more freshly dead relative to Beetlejuice. Additionally, Beetlejuice’s mischievous nature in the afterlife creates opportunities for effects on his appearance that are unlikely to impact the Maitlands. For instance, Beetlejuice 2 could explain the title ghost’s maturation by the fact that his head was shrunk at the end of the original movie. Perhaps re-inflating his head caused the appearance of aging, or he may have experienced other spells or mishaps that caused his maturing in the time before Beetlejuice 2.
Source: People
