WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!
This article contains mentions of an actor who is a registered sex offender as of 2003.
In addition to bringing back a few original actors, Tim Burton’sBeetlejuice Beetlejuicesubtly recasts a major character from the 1988 movie. Thecast and characters ofBeetlejuice 2are led by returning figures such as Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz, and Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse, as well as new additions like Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz and Justin Theroux as Rory. The 2024 movie also cleverlybrings back original character Charles Deetz, but not with Jeffrey Jones portraying him.
The biggestmissing original actors fromBeetlejuicein the sequel are Jeffrey Jones, Alec Baldwin, and Geena Davis, the latter two of whom played the recently deceased ghosts Adam and Barbara Maitland. SinceAdam and Barbara Maitland have “moved on” inBeetlejuice 2, Baldwin and Davis’ absences make sense in the sequel. However,Charles Deetz still plays an important role inBeetlejuice 2’s story, and appears in both stop-motion sequences and as a ghost stalking the afterlife. In order to accomplish the latter role without bringing back Jones,Beetlejuice 2casts a new actor to voice Charles.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Recasts Charles Deetz
A New Actor Voices The Iconic Original Character
SinceCharles Deetz died from being eaten by a shark, his head is missing in the afterlife, so the recast avoids changing the character’s original appearance. The head and shoulders have been bitten off, so Charles’ body spurts out blood while almost incoherently gurgling his words, which also accomplishes the feat of avoiding his character sounding different in the sequel.While the character is recast for his voice and stuntwork in the sequel,Beetlejuice 2’s new Charles Deetz actor is uncredited.
Leaving the role uncredited is likely a way to preserve the image of the original Charles Deetz character.
It stillhasn’t been revealed exactly why the 2024 horror-comedy has hidden the actor who voices Charles inBeetlejuice 2. However, leaving the role uncredited is likely a way to preserve the image of the original Charles Deetz character. When discovering Charles’ new voice actor, some audience members’ perceptions of the character as he stumbles around the afterlife may deviate from his characterization in both the 1988Beetlejuiceand the sequel’s stop-motion sequence, which still uses Jeffrey Jones’ likeness.
Why Beetlejuice 2 Recast Jeffrey Jones As Charles Deetz
Charles' Return In Some Form Was Necessary For Beetlejuice 2
Tim Burton hasn’t officially confirmed his reason for recasting Charles Deetz rather than leaving him outof the sequel entirely. However, thereturning Deetz family membersspend a significant portion of the movie in the afterlife, with the 1988 film also reiterating that just because a person dies, it doesn’t mean their physical presence is gone.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Ending Explained: What’s Next For Betelgeuse & The Deetz Family
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has a fast-paced, funny story packed with twists and turns that keep audiences guessing and laughing until the very end.
Charles had to be present in some form duringBeetlejuice 2as the Deetzes grieved their relative and honored his impact on both the original movie and the 2024 sequel’s plot. Though Charles’ return in some manner was important, the chances ofBeetlejuice 2bringing back his original actor, Jeffrey Jones, were very low, which is why Charles’ ghost is missing his head and shoulders.
$110 million
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Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
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Jones’ absence is presumably due to his legal troubles, as he pleaded no contest to possessing child pornography in 2003 and was arrested for neglecting to update his sex offender status in 2004 and 2010, pleading guilty to the latter charge (viaPeople). Since 2010, Jones has only appeared in two films and two made-for-TV movies, so his Hollywood absence began long beforeBeetlejuice 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.
Beetlejuice
Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice stars Michael Keaton as the titular “bio-exorcist”, an obnoxious spirit who specializes in driving living occupants out of homes. When Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die suddenly, they pass into the spirit realm, and must stay in their home. However, in the living world, the Deetz family purchases the house and moves in, prompting the Maitlands to enlist the help of Beetlejuice to drive them away.
