Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Tim Burton Reveals Why He Excluded Key Original Cast Members Alec Baldwin & Geena Davis From Sequel

Tim Burton reveals the reason behind Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis's absence in Beetlejuice sequel, citing a new focus on fresh characters.

Published on Aug 29, 2024  |  02:02 PM IST |  51.9K
Instagram / Tim Burton
Instagram / Tim Burton

Recently, Tim Burton spoke about the absence of Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis in his upcoming sequel to Beetlejuice citing a focus on generational dynamics with brand-new characters. The cast of the 2024 film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, includes the original cast Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Michael Keaton, but Baldwin and Davis who had major parts in the first film do not return. The film also features Wednesday's Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz and Monica Bellucci as Delores.

The Corpse Bride director revealed that his decision was not aimed at just repeating history and including every familiar face from the first film. While he agreed that Baldwin and Davis were key players in the original Beetlejuice film, he said that his vision for the sequel was quite different. The director has opted to focus on a new storyline with different characters and their interactions.

Burton told People, "I think the thing was, for me, I didn’t want to just tick any boxes. So even though they were such an amazingly integral part of the first one, I was focusing on something else."


In the classic of the year 1988, Baldwin and Davis played Adam and Barbara Maitland, a couple who had died recently and got bound to their house. Burton, however, moves the tale away to Jenna Ortega's character who, by accident, unlocks the door to the underworld thereby causing a bone-rattling stir.

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The official description of the film states: "After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic, and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened."

Planning for the sequel always considered its timing and context within one generation. According to the outlet, what impressed Burton was the relationship between a mother and daughter, and a grandmother and granddaughter. He believed that this became "the nucleus" of his new film.

This emphasis on relationships that transcend generations, as opposed to attempting to simply repeat the formula of the original movie, was something Tim Burton believed he could only accomplish now, rather than when the first film was released.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Jenna Ortega Opens Up About Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Casting, Second Collab With Tim Burton And Working With Winona Ryder

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