Alec Baldwin & Geena Davis Being in ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Was Impossible

Are Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin not returning for Beetlejuice 2?

Ever since Warner Bros. Pictures released the trailer for the sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, fans have been digging for spoilers. Considering that the original film is about old enough to start a presidential campaign, we all knew that the sequel would be different.

But Geena Davis and the ever-controversial Alec Baldwin were both memorable, central characters to the first film.

Why is there no sign of them in the Beetlejuice sequel? To be honest, it just would’ve been impossible.

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’: Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis Don’t Return Because Tim Burton Didn’t Want Them To

Beetlejuice was an instant, memorable hit in 1988.

Though many younger Millennial viewers may better remember the animated series (in which the titular character was more of a rascal best friend than an antagonist), the film left a mark upon popular culture. Many of its stars remain beloved acting icons to this day.

In the original, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin portray a pair of ghosts. The couple haunt and ultimately befriend the living family that moves into their home — particularly the daughter, Lydia. Winona Ryder of course portrays Lydia.

As you can see from the trailer that Warner Bros. Pictures dropped on Thursday, May 23, the sequel film is clearly a blast from the past and many of the the OG stars are back, including Catherine O’Hara and Michael Keaton as the titular star.

But Geena Davis is also alive and working on both television and film. And even if one were to ignore Alec Baldwin’s most infamous recent film, he, too, is alive and working. Yet there’s no sign of them in the trailer or in any other materials related to the sequel.

And that’s just how director and creator Tim Burton wanted it.

“I think the thing was for me I didn’t want to just tick any boxes. So even though they were such an amazing integral part of the first one, I was focusing on something else,” Burton explained in an interview before the film’s release.

Why Alec & Geena Got The Axe From ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel

“A sequel like this, it really had to do with the time, Burton added.

That was my hook into it, the three generations of mother, daughter, granddaughter. And that [would] be the nucleus of it. I couldn’t have made this personally back in 1989 or whatever.”

In the original film, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin portray Barbara and Adam Maitland (respectively). The two die at the start of the film, becoming ghosts residing in their home.

When the Deetz family moves in, they first attempt to frighten away the family. Later, they recruit the titular Beetlejuice — a trickster demon — in the hopes of evicting the living from their home.

Ultimately, the two become surrogate parents to the living family’s daughter, Lydia. The famous sequence of her flying at the end is a little indulgence from her ghostly pals.

Tim Burton helmed that film and this one. The movie clearly has enough money to add new (legendary) actors like Willem Dafoe and Danny DeVito.

Not to mention Jenna Ortega, who will seemingly be the one summoning Beetlejuice this time around.

Geena Davis Weighs In On Beetlejuice Sequel

Before Tim cleared the air as to why the stars weren’t invited back, there were two prevailing explanations for why we wouldn’t not see Davis or Baldwin appear at all in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

The first possibility felt personal. If, for example, Alec Baldwin’s recent drama (an understatement) made the studio wary of controversy.

But the second and more irritating, was the reality of actors aging 35 years when ghosts clearly should not. A creative team can address that — as Star Trek: Picard did with Q — but it’s an obstacle. Michael Keaton’s character looked like a busted clown in 1988 and will look the same in 2024, so it’s not a problem for him at all.

And that’s where Geena comes in.

“No, I’m not. I’m not in the remake,” Davis revealed to ET when asked about the sequel.

“Oh, you were expecting that I would be? Yeah, no, you know what? Because my theory is that ghosts don’t age… Not that I have,” she added with a laugh.

But you know what? With all that said, even if they don’t show up in the film, we would suspect that something will come of their story still. We’re sure that the absence of their ghostly characters will get an explanation.