Since its announcement, Tim Burton’s highly anticipated Beetlejuice sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, has sparked considerable online discussion.
The sequel features Jenna Ortega, with Michael Keaton reprising his role as the titular ghost and Winona Ryder returning as Lydia Deetz, now a mother to Ortega’s character.
Catherine O’Hara also returns, with Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, and Monica Bellucci joining the cast.
However, one actor is notably missing from the lineup, and fans are now uncovering the troubling reason behind their absence.
The original film, released in 1988, remains a beloved comedy-horror classic.
It follows the story of a married couple who, as ghosts, attempt to scare away the family that has moved into their home.
Following its release, the film won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling and grossed $80 million against a $15 million budget, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The sequel premiered on September 6 and has generated extensive press coverage.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ortega described working with Burton as an “insane experience.”
She shared with the publication: “I’ve been fortunate to work with an iconic director who is not only incredibly sweet but also the most detail-oriented director I’ve ever worked with.”
On SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, Keaton mentioned: “Tim and I would discuss over the years whether we’d ever do it, and if we did, how we would approach it.”
“It’s just so much fun, and having seen it already, I’m going to watch it again after a few minor edits in the editing room. I can confidently say that it’s great.”
“It’s like a piece of art, you know? It’s almost as if you’d want to display it in a museum. There’s truly nothing else like it.”
“Doing it again was a bit intimidating, and I felt quite nervous about it.”
After the film’s release, many fans of the original noticed that Jeffrey Jones, who played Charles Deetz, the dad in the original movie, did not reprise his role.
“Someone on social media mentioned, ‘I was sure he had passed away and even reminisced about his role in Howard the Duck, only to find out today that he’s still alive!'”
Before the sequel was released, Jones’ representative confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the 77-year-old actor would not be appearing in Beetlejuice 2.
After his role in Beetlejuice, he continued to collaborate with Tim Burton, starring in other classics such as Ed Wood (1994) and Sleepy Hollow (1999).
Jones is well-known for his roles as Emperor Joseph II in Amadeus (1984) and Ed Rooney, the principal, in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986).
However, Jones has been largely absent from the spotlight since his arrest in 2003.
In 2003, Jones pleaded no contest to charges of possessing child pornography, related to accusations that he hired a 14-year-old boy to pose for indecent images.
According to Entertainment News Weekly, the actor was sentenced to five years of probation, required to attend counseling, and mandated to register as a s** offender for life.
After his sentencing, Jones reportedly stated, “This concludes a really painful chapter in my life. I am sorry that this incident was allowed to occur. Such an event has never happened before and it will never happen again.”
BBC News reported that the actor was arrested in Florida in 2004 and in California in 2010 for failing to update his s** offender registration.
After pleading to the latter charge, his sentence included community service hours and additional years of probation, as reported by CBS News.
Although Jones doesn’t reprise his role in the Beetlejuice sequel, his character’s gravestone appears in the movie’s trailer, and a backstory is given in the film itself.
