Beetlejuice 2 is missing two major characters because of a “loophole”

Fans of the original Beetlejuice can rest assured that the sequel won’t forget two of its main characters, the Maitlands.

While 1988’s Beetlejuice is perhaps most closely associated with Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder today, they’re far from the film’s main characters. The plot is mainly focused on Adam and Barbara Maitland (played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis), the late owners of the home the Deetz’s move into.

It’s a major plot point that the Maitlands cannot leave the house for 125 years and thus aspire to scare the Deetzes off so they can spend their afterlife in peace. As such, fans were probably a little surprised to see they weren’t back for Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.

Warner Bros

The Maitlands are the protagonists of Beetlejuice, but they won’t be back for the sequel.

Speaking with People Magazine, director Tim Burton essentially handwaves the absence, though. He says the canon explanation is as simple as the Maitlands finding a loophole that allowed them to leave the house, but he isn’t too concerned with the details.

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

The original film ends with the Deetzes and Maitlands finding a happy middle ground after the film’s events, with Beetlejuice banished back to the afterlife after nearly marrying Lydia.

But that was the last time fans saw the Maitlands. Both are absent from the follow-up animated Beetlejuice series, which focuses entirely on Beetlejuice and Lydia, who also lost their antagonistic relationship to become close friends.

Interestingly, the original stars may not have learned about Burton’s logic. In an April 2024 interview, Geena Davis attributed the decision not to bring her back up to having aged out of the role, saying, “My theory is that ghosts don’t age…not that I have.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice premieres on September 6. In the meantime, you can check out the highest-grossing movies of 2024, alongside new movies streaming this month and the best movies of 2024 so far.