Beetlejuice: Why Isn't Jeffrey Jones In The Sequel?
Almost 36 years, Tim Burton takes the same and starts again. The director who was said to be lacking inspiration returns to the film that made him meet the general public for a crazy and nostalgic sequel. Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara return to service in the roles of the bio exorcist, Lydia and Delia Deetz for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis are not on the trip, however, the two heroes managed to find peace after their meeting with the Deetz family. Another absence is nevertheless felt, that of Father Deetz played by Jeffrey Jones. A collaborator of Burton until the end of the 90s, the American actor was not invited for this sequel. If his character is in the game, Burton and the writers made him unrecognizable and did not bring back the one who is also known for having lent his features to the director in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
His absence is not due to a scheduling conflict. In 2002, he was arrested for possession of child pornography and for soliciting a 14-year-old boy to pose for sexually explicit photographs. Although he pleaded not guilty, he was placed on probation for five years and forced to register as a sex offender. He has been arrested twice for failing to update his status. Since that incident, his career has stalled, with only two films in 2014 and 2017. He also appeared in the series Deadwood between 2004 and 2006 as well as in the film broadcast in 2019. His presence had nevertheless been drastically reduced.
A sequence inspired by Burton's worst nightmare
The death of Charles Deetz brings the three heroines together around their mourning and memories, and delivers some tender scenes between Winona Ryder, Catherie O'Hara and Jenna Ortega. But this tenderness does not apply to everyone, and particularly Deetz. According to screenwriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the fate reserved for him is inspired by the director's worst nightmare. Faced with Entertainment Weekly, The two screenwriters explain: “He said this: My nightmare is that I'm in a plane crash, I survive, I almost drown and then a shark eats me.” That was all it took to convince them that this was the way forward.
From this brief description, the two screenwriters were able to hatch not only the stop-motion scene, but also allow Burton to make do with a body and a huge prosthesis to punctuate the adventures of his leading trio. The voice was added in post-production, no actor is credited in the credits.
When asked about the reasons for Jeffrey Jones' absence, the two authors do not elaborate on the issue. They simply confide that Charles' death was at the origin of the project, that it is to the question “What happens if Charles dies?” that the film wants to offer an answer.
“Because, as you know, when you go through these times of family crisis, I think everyone likes to think that a family gets stronger. It doesn’t. Whatever cracks there are in your family, they get magnified in a way. So it was the idea of having these three generations of women under one roof in this very intense situation and seeing how they deal with it and the strengths that come from it.”
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is still in the cinema, where he works miracles around the world.
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