:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/geena-davis-alec-baldwin-beetlejuice-tout-090924-76514287d21d41e4afeb3c9a2d254ce8.jpg "The “Beetlejuice” characters of Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis appeared in an alternate version")
The “Beetlejuice” characters of Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis appeared in an alternate version
There was almost a glimmer of hope for fans who may have missed Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis. Beetlejuice Characters in the long-awaited sequel.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Writer Alfred Gough told Weekly entertainment how Adam (Baldwin, 66) and Barbara Maitland (Davis, 68) could have appeared in the 2024 film, but ultimately rejected the idea for director Tim Burton’s successor.
“There was a version (of the script) where they just showed up at the end, but the problem is they’re ghosts, so they kind of had to look like they were 35, which was never going to happen,” Gough, 57, told the outlet.
“I think Tim (Burton) felt, and (screenplay partner Miles Millar) and I agreed, that their story had been told. So where do we go from there?” the screenwriter continued.
Moviestore/Shutterstock
The Maitlands played a couple in the original 1988 horror comedy who died in a car accident when they drove off a bridge while trying not to kill a dog on the road.
The unusual Deetz family – Delia, Charles and daughter Lydia, played by Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Jones and Winona Ryder – bought their house in Connecticut and when the ghosts refused to share the space, they called on the wild demon Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) to help them move away.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Burton, 66, told PEOPLE exclusively in August why Baldwin and Davis would not be part of the sequel, noting that the ghosts found a “loophole” that allowed them to leave the house they were locked in.
The director also wanted to tell another story that had nothing to do with the Maitlands. “I think I didn’t want to just tick any boxes. So even though they were such an amazing integral part of the first one, I focused on something else,” he said at the time.
Geffen/Warner Bros./Kobal/Shutterstock
This time, Lydia’s daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) is affected by the return of Beetlejuice.
“A sequel like this really had to do with the times,” Burton said of returning to the Deetz family after more than 35 years. “That was my approach, the three generations of mother, daughter, granddaughter. And that (would be) the core of it. I personally couldn’t have done that in 1989 or so.”
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword puzzle is here! How fast can you solve it? Play now!
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is now in theaters.
