The real reason Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis weren't in Beetlejuice 2

The world has gone wild for Beetlejuice. 36 years after the original movie arrived in theaters, its long-awaited sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has made its presence felt across the globe. And what an impression it has made, performing so well that it has outgrossed its predecessor in its opening weekend alone. Yes, nearly four decades later, fans are still loving "the Juice".

The sequel catches us up with some of our faves, as Michael Keaton reprises his role as the titular demon of the underworld, joined by fellow returnees Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara. Both Lydia and Delia Deetz had major roles in the previous film, so it makes sense that they have returned for the second installment. However, there are some notable absences.

You might have noticed that Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis did not return as Adam and Barbara Maitland; the couple at the center of the underworld drama in the original movie as their deaths cause a series of events that leads to Beetlejuice's arrival. Though they got a Happy Ever After in the afterlife, they did not appear in the sequel. Now director Tim Burton has explained why.

Tim Burton wanted Beetlejuice 2 to tell a new story

Director Tim Burton returned for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and he revealed that he wanted to tell a different story in the sequel. In an interview with People, he spoke of his desire to make a very specific kind of sequel which meant that he couldn't focus on the Maitlands.

"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,"

Though the couple are referenced in the movie multiple times, the story shifts to focus on the women of the Deetz family, primarily Lydia who is now struggling to maintain her relationship with daughter Astrid (played by Wednesday star Jenna Ortega). It's a pretty full-circle moment all-around, as Lydia was the one struggling to maintain her relationship with her parents in the first movie, so now she understands a bit about how her stepmother Delia felt during those days.

This was the story that Burton wanted to focus on, telling People that the movie all "had to do with time" and that the hook into it was "the three generations of mother, daughter, granddaughter", adding that he couldn't have told this story had the sequel been greenlit in 1989.

Geena Davis herself recently spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the 2024 sequel and pointed out that "ghosts don't age". Honestly, that's a great point, Geena.

*** The rest of this article contains SPOILERS from Beetlejuice 2. If you'd like to know how the movie addressed the Maitlands' absence, read on to find out. ***

What happened to Adam and Barbara Maitland in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?

Adam and Barbara Maitland's absences are clear pretty early on in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. From the fact that the Deetz house is no longer used to the lack of references to them in the first act of the movie, they just aren't a part of the film; which makes for a major change considering they were the entry point into all of the madness of the 1988 original. However the explanation comes soon enough.

Lydia explains to her daughter Astrid that the Maitlands found a loophole and moved on after she asks about the ghost couple in the attic. It doesn't outright reveal what the loophole is, but it's clear that it allowed them to leave the house they were trapped inside after their untimely deaths. The "moved on" of it all suggests that the fan-favorite couple found peace.

One concept that was introduced in the sequel was the Soul Train, which took the souls who no longer wanted to roam the Earth to their destination after life. It's quite possible that the Maitlands opted for this in the hopes that it would help them cross over and find peace together.

It's unlikely that the pair would have left the house behind and simply moved on to another part of the Earth. For starters, as frustrating as being stuck in the same place was for them in the 1988 film, they loved that house and ultimately agreed with the Deetzes that they could keep a part of it the way it was so that they could live there. They also bonded with Lydia and helped her study for school, enriching the young girl's life, so they probably wouldn't have left until she was older and ready to leave Winter River behind.

With all of that in mind, it's safe to say that the moving on loophole was likely about them deciding it was finally time for them to find peace. It's intentionally vague so as to not break any of the franchise's own rules, but as Adam and Barbara went through a lot in the first movie, it goes without saying that they deserve some peace.

May the Maitlands finally rest in peace.