We have all been “patiently” waiting — or jumping up and down in excitement — for the return of Beetlejuice, which is indeed happening in September.
Yep. This is not a drill. Beetlejuice 2 is dropping into theaters this September. *Gahhhhh!!!*
And while there are characters returning — Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, and Catherine O’Hara — and new characters afoot — Jenna Ortega and Justin Theroux — there are some cast members from the OG Beetlejuice who we simply won’t be seeing.
One specific member of the Beetlejuice cast who won’t be making an appearance in the sequel is Geena Davis.
Why Won’t Geena Davis Be In Beetlejuice 2?
Barbara Maitland, one of the key players in the original Beetlejuice, played by Geena Davis, won’t be returning for the sequel.
I’m a bit sad about this, as we are so invested in the character, but I guess I begrudgingly understand.
But I think it makes sense because we told the story of the Maitlands, and in that world, ghosts don’t age. You stay in the same clothes you died in and everything
Geena Davis
Beetlejuice came out in 1988 — I don’t even want to think about how long ago that was.
Geena Davis would have definitely aged in the real world since then, so it would be pretty hard to keep her as a youthful ghost.
Besides, the story of the Maitlands has been told. We know their fate. Signed, sealed, delivered. There’s nothing more to tell.
I do wonder how they are going to deal with the fact that Beetlejuice, himself, is now 40-something years older.
Is he really a ghost? Or is he something like a demon? But, I wouldn’t think demons would age either.
As for Geena Davis? She has other things going on, so don’t worry about her too much.
According to The News, “Davis is currently busy with various projects, including writing a children’s book and organizing the Bentonville Film Festival, which promotes diverse voices in filmmaking.”
She also has her own advocacy group, The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and it keeps her pretty busy.
We will miss Barbara Maitland, but I guess we can suck it up and deal with a Beetlejuice sequel that doesn’t include her story.