Alec Balwin may not have returned to Beetle juicebut the sequel’s Shrinkers are a hilarious throwback to a different Alec Baldwin classic. Many of the cast members from the original Beetle juice returned for Tim Burton’s long-awaited sequel, with Lydia, Delia, Betelgeuse and others returning for another adventure in the afterlife. However, the Maitlands’ absence has been a hindrance for some fans of the original, and while it’s sad that they haven’t returned, Alec Baldwin has managed to make an impact on the original. Beetle juicethe story in a strange way.
In the original Beetle juiceAdam and Barbara Maitland are the protagonists. After their deaths, a new family tries to move into their home, with the film following the Maitlands as they try to get the humans to leave. Because of the Maitlands’ importance in the original’s plot, many fans found it strange that they were barely mentioned in the original. Beetle juicewith his absence being almost eliminated by hand. However, it is clear that Tim Burton has not forgotten Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, as this Beetle juice detail suggests.
The Shrinkers’ Office in Beetlejuice 2 was inspired by Alec Baldwin’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Although Betelgeuse remains remarkably consistent between the original Beetle juice and then, there is a big change in the character: his job. At the time of its introduction into Beetle juiceIt is revealed that Betelgeuse is now the head of an afterlife call center, with him commanding a large team of Shrinkers. This detail does not have much impact on the story of Beetle juicebut Tim Burton’s director’s commentary highlights that it was actually inspired by a different Alec Baldwin classic.
Turns out the boiler room call center office was heavily inspired by the 1992 office Glengarry Glen Rossa drama about a group of real estate agents who have to compete in a fierce competition to keep their jobs. Although Alec Baldwin only appears in one scene in Glengarry Glen RossIt’s the film’s most memorable moment. It turns out that the visual design of the Betelgeuse call center used Glengarry Glen Ross for reference, with Tim Burton even explaining that the Shrinkers’ yellow suits were inspired by the gold uniforms of Century 21 real estate.
Betelgeuse’s work in Beetlejuice 2’s afterlife explained
He works in an afterlife call center
Although Betelgeuse’s bioexorcism work was the source of much of the conflict in the original film, in fact, it helped him climb the corporate ladder in Beetle juice. As the sequel explains, Betelgeuse took over Juno’s job in the afterlife when she retired, making him head of the afterlife call center. It’s where the recently deceased go when they need help with their transitions to the afterlife, and is who the Maitlands turn to after the Deetzes move into their home in the original film.
Betelgeuse’s work on Beetle juice It came with some benefits, like a large Shrinkers employee base. While Bob is obviously Betelgeuse’s favorite Shrinker, the film shows a fair number of them working for the ghost. Betelgeuse’s tendency to descend into mischief obviously makes him a less effective functionary in the afterlife than Juno, however, with Beetle juice showing how he abandons his post, accidentally lets the Shrinkers escape into the real world, and becomes 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 of the Beetle juicewhich is why Alec Baldwin didn’t return in the sequel. Tim Burton explained Baldwin’s absence in Beetle juiceand 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, and that’s why Beetle juice focuses more on the mother-daughter relationship between Lydia and Astrid Deetz. Here are the director’s full praises:
I think for me the problem was that I didn’t want to just check any box. So even though they were an amazing integral part of the first one, I was focusing on something else.
A sequence like this really had to do with time. That was my hook, the three generations of mother, daughter, granddaughter. And that [would] be the core of it. I couldn’t have done that personally in 1989 or something.
Furthermore, getting rid of the Maitlands meant the film could feature an integral part of the story: the Great Beyond. It is explained that the Maitlands headed to the Great Beyond between films, allowing this storyline to be set up early on. Beetle juice.