Alec Balwin may not have returned forBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, but the sequel’s Shrinkers are a hilarious callback to a different Alec Baldwin classic. Many of thecast members from the originalBeetlejuicereturnedfor the long-awaited Tim Burton sequel, with Lydia, Delia, Betelgeuse, and more coming back for another afterlife adventure. However, the absence of the Maitlands has been a sticking point for some fans of the original, and while it is sad that they didn’t return, Alec Baldwin did manage to have an impact onBeetlejuice Beetlejuice’s story in one strange way.
In the originalBeetlejuice,Adam and Barbara Maitland are the protagonists. After their deaths, a new family attempts to move into their house, with the film following the Maitlands as they attempt to get the humans to leave. Because of how integral the Maitlands were to the plot of the original, many fans found it strange that they were hardly mentioned inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, with their absence being almost hand-wrapped away. However, it is clear that Tim Burton didn’t forget about Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, as this oneBeetlejuice Beetlejuicedetail suggests.
The Shrinkers' Office In Beetlejuice 2 Was Inspired By Alec Baldwin’s Glengarry Glen Ross
According To Tim Burton’s Commentary
Although Betelgeuse stays remarkably consistent between the originalBeetlejuiceand the sequel, there is one major change with the character: his job. At the time of his introduction inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, it is revealed that Betelgeuse is now the head of an afterlife call center, with him bossing around a large staff of Shrinkers.This detail doesn’t have a major impact on the story ofBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, but Tim Burton’s director’s commentary highlights that it was actually inspired by a different Alec Baldwin classic.
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As it turns out, the boiler room call center office was heavily inspired by the office from 1992’sGlengarry Glen Ross, a drama about a group of real estate agents who have to compete in a fierce competition in order to keep their jobs. AlthoughAlec Baldwin only appears in one scene inGlengarry Glen Ross, it is the film’s most memorable moment. As it turns out, the visual design of Betelgeuse’s call center usedGlengarry Glen Rossas a reference, with Tim Burton even explaining that the Shrinkers' yellow suits were inspired by Century 21 real estate gold uniforms.
Betelgeuse’s Job In Beetlejuice 2’s Afterlife Explained
He Works In An Afterlife Call Center
Although Betelgeuse’s bio-exorcism job was the source of much of the conflict in the original film,it actually helped him work his way up the corporate ladder inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice. As the sequel explains, Betelgeuse took over Juno’s afterlife job once she retired, making him the head of the afterlife call center. This is where the recently deceased go when they need help with their transitions into the afterlife, with it being who the Maitlands reach out to after the Deetzs move into their house in the original film.
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Betelgeuse’s job inBeetlejuice Beetlejuicecame with some benefits, such as a large employee base of Shrinkers. WhileBob is obviously Betelgeuse’s favorite Shrinker, the film shows off a good number of them working for the ghost with the most. Betelgeuse’s tendency to delve into mischief obviously makes him a less effective afterlife employee than Juno, however, withBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceshowing how he abandons his post, accidentally lets the Shrinkers escape into the real world, and gets involved in a murder case.
Why Alec Baldwin Didn’t Return As Adam Maitland In Beetlejuice 2
Tim Burton Wanted To Focus On Something Else
The absence of the Maitlands was one of the saddest parts ofBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, and here’s why Alec Baldwin didn’t return in the sequel.Tim Burton explained Baldwin’s absence inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, and it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with real-world events. Instead, Burton wasn’t concerned with bringing back everything from the original film. He wanted to focus on something different, which is whyBeetlejuice Beetlejuicefocuses more on the mother-daughter relationship between Lydia and Astrid Deetz. Here are the director’s full commends:
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.
A sequel like this, it really had to do with the time. 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.
On top of that,getting rid of the Maitlands meant that the film could introduce an integral part of the story: the Great Beyond. It is explained that the Maitlands moved on to the Great Beyond in between films, allowing this plot device to be set up early inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Cast
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
