I’m relieved that Tim Burton scrapped plans for a lost original character cameo in Beetlejuice 2

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!Screenwriter Alfred Gough revealed that Beetlejuice 2 Once was going to feature cameos from the two original characters, but the plan was scrapped ahead of the Tim Burton movie’s 2024 release. surprisingly, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice There are no major cameos from the main charactersTim Burton’s frequent collaborator Danny DeVito as the janitor of the afterlife, with a big “cameo” appearance. Rather, each is returning to the original character Beetlejuice 2 Given a significant introduction, some absent figures are only mentioned conversationally in the sequel.

When members of the Dietz family, Betelgeuse and even Little Jane Butterfield return Beetlejuice 2, The most glaring absences from the sequel are Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis’ Adam and Barbara Maitland.The main character of the 1988 movie. A Maitland couple died in a tragic car accident BeetlejuiceIn its opening sequence, the ghosts are becoming the ones who wanted to scare the new Dietz family living in their house. After a gap of 36 years between the movies, Adam and Barbara are completely absent from the sequel for good reason due to the real-life aging of the actors. However, they almost got a brief cameo appearance before eventually dropping the idea.

Adam and Barbara were originally going to cameo in the finale of Beetlejuice 2 – why didn’t that happen

Tim Burton decided against Maitland’s cameo at the end of Beetlejuice 2

According to screenwriter Alfred Gough, who also collaborated with Tim Burton on Netflix on wednesday The show, once had a version of it Beetlejuice 2 which included cameos from Adam and Barbara. The writers revealed that they discussed with the director the possibility of Baldwin and Davies’ characters making cameos, but Tim Burton ultimately decided against any cameos by Maitlands. Gough explained that Maitlands had an idea “Show only at the end [of Beetlejuice 2]“ But Baldwin and Davis’ real-world aging complicates this cameo:

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It’s funny with the Maitlands because we asked the team, and we went back and forth. There was a version where they just appeared at the end, but the problem is they’re ghosts. So they need to look like 35 years old, which will never happen. I think Tim felt, and Miles and I agreed, that their story was told. So how do we move on from this?”

Instead of a cameo, the writers opted for a more brief conversational nod to Maitland, in which Lydia explained Barbara and Adam’s absence by revealing “moved on” after finding a loophole in the ghostly rules of the afterlife. D The script still includes a cheeky nod to its struggles Beetlejuice 2 Realistically explain the Maitlands’ absenceAs the original movie revealed they were supposed to be hustling at the Winter River House for the first 125 years of their afterlife. When Astrid asks where the Maitlands have gone Beetlejuice 2Lydia vaguely mentions the loophole, with the teenager replying, “how convenient“

It’s still there It’s unclear how a cameo with Maitland would work in Beetlejuice 2This last option could be the recently deceased Delia and Charles Dietz confronting them in the afterlife, or perhaps the Maitlands were ghosts from the afterlife who helped Lydia and Astrid return home instead of Richard. Perhaps Adam and Barbara paid the Dietz family a visit to the Winter River home to figure out how to get their 125-year sentences released, similar to the “Jump in the Line” musical number from the original song. Beetlejuice the end

However, the problem remains Unless Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis were de-aged with CGI tech, Maitland would be pretty boring to watch.People who died in their early 30s, suddenly appear in their 60s. With a budget of approximately $100 million for Beetlejuice 2This technology could have made for some very expensive cameos, so the decision to leave the ghosts out of the 1988 movie was quite realistic. The Maitlands continue to be as beloved as ever BeetlejuiceTim Burton made the right decision to drop their sequel and focus on Dietges.

I love Adam and Barbara, but bringing them back for cameos was a mistake

Maitland’s story is already over and doesn’t need to be rehashed

I’m inclined to agree with Maitland having a cameo in with Tim Burton Beetlejuice 2I love their characters though. Burton is right: Maitland’s story has already been told, and their characters have little room to grow Only without rehashing the plot of the original movie. It is important to acknowledge how influential Maitland was in Dietges’ life, especially when Adam and Barbara became surrogate parents to teenage Lydia. BeetlejuiceEnded in 1988, but that was also 36 years ago.

Adam and Barbara have been haunted by Attic for decades while the Dietges left and lived their lives – the way forward for the two ghosts is to take their souls to the Great Beyond, not to go against Betelgeuse and save Lydia and Astrid. I have to admit it Bringing Maitland back for a cameo would just be an act of fan serviceA trap that calls numerous other callbacks and references Beetlejuice 2 largely avoided.

Not only would it have been fan service, but their cameos would have distracted from the main family story at the heart of the theme. Beetlejuice 2It would not enhance Maitlands’ message to have a cameo at the end Beetlejuice 2Its resolution and reconciliation between Lydia and Astrid. In reality, it will probably do the opposite, as Their cameos may have undermined the audience’s focus on the resolution of Deetzes’ family conflict and shared trauma from their experiences with Betelgeuse.

If Adam and Barbara appear Beetlejuice 2it’s over They would have become the main talking point of Act III. Delia’s death, Astrid and Lydia’s union, and Lydia’s dark reality still haunted by Betelgeuse’s vision will be overlooked by the buzz about the Maitlands. There is no intention of bringing them back which is probably for a minute in the final act just for the couple to reunite with Lydia and for the original fans. Beetlejuice To point at the screen like Leonardo DiCaprio Once Upon a Time in Hollywood the meme

The story of Adam and Barbara is told and Beetlejuice 2Its focus is on Deetzes. The story of the sequel makes it very difficult to juggle another subplot to bring in Maitland, and frankly, Adam and Barbara’s legacy deserves more than just a fan-service cameo. If they can’t realistically be worked into the main plot, it’s better to honor their memories in the sequel while moving on to Dietzes’ deeper themes and conflicts instead.

Beetlejuice 2 still has some Adam and Barbara details that I’m disappointed with

Their profound influence on Lydia’s life goes unnoticed

Although I am relieved that two originals are missing Beetlejuice The characters didn’t have a throwaway cameo, I’m still a little disappointed that some aspect of their story wasn’t addressed. Lydia reveals that Maitland’s ghost has “moved on,” but There is no mention of how her relationship with the couple developed after the original movieAlthough they seem to be taking a more active role in raising him than Charles and Delia. Additionally, there’s no indication of how long the Maitlands were out of the Winter River house—or exactly what loopholes allowed them to leave.

It’s hard to imagine that Lydia became famous for her ability to see ghosts and even started a talk show based around Maitland’s “Ghost House” attic and not keep tabs on them for years. Although the Maitlands may have run away from the Winter River home after Lydia graduated high school and possibly left town, they were still incredibly important figures in her adolescence and an inspiration in her adult career. Adam and Barbara didn’t need to have a cameo, but there it was Disappointingly, their personal impact on Lydia’s feelings about being accepted as a teenager is not resolved in Beetlejuice 2.