Maitlands were almost in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice'—Here's what changed
The recent sequel to the 1988 classic Beetlejuice, titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, did not feature original stars Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis. However, an early draft of the screenplay included a cameo appearance by their characters, the Maitlands. Alfred Gough, one of the screenwriters for the sequel, revealed this in a conversation with Entertainment Weekly. The film is currently running in theaters.
'There was a version where they just showed up...'
Gough explained the decision to remove the Maitlands's cameo, stating, "It's funny with the Maitlands because we asked Tim (Burton) and we went back and forth." "There was a version where they just showed up at the end, but the problem is they're ghosts. So they kind of needed to look like they were 35, which was never going to happen." He added that Burton felt their story had been told already.
Burton's focus shifted in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice'
In the sequel, released 36 years after the original, Burton chose to concentrate on the characters of Lydia, Delia, and Betelgeuse. Gough explained this decision stating, "The first movie is really about the Maitlands." "It was really Baldwin and Davis's movie for a good [portion]. They're the protagonists who called Beetlejuice against the Deetz family. So he said he really wanted to focus on them."
Burton's approach to the sequel's storytelling
Gough elaborated, [Burton] wasn't interested in doing fan service or being slavish." "So he was very much about, how do we tell the [story's] next iteration?" "We tried to find ways, could we nod to the Maitlands? Tim was finally like, 'Let's not do that. We have a reason why they're not there anymore. So let's just move on from that.'" The Maitlands's absence is explained in the movie by saying they found a loophole and left the house.
'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' plot and new characters
The sequel follows Lydia (Winona Ryder) as a single mother who has used her ability to see ghosts to become the host of a popular paranormal reality show called Ghost House. After her husband's death, she returns to Winter River with her estranged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) and her stepmother Delia to mourn her father. The plot progresses when Astrid is tricked by a young ghost, Jeremy, into opening a portal to the Afterlife and trading her life for his.
