This shouldn't come, as a surprise as Burton was renowned for casting his movies a little more differently than others. He got it immediately, Keaton said of the moment. So what are you waiting for? Speaking about the movie to Uproxx, cinematographer Tom Ackerman recalled the fond experience of working on it. Adam flings himself suddenly to the right, but trips into the path of the gear. "When I did Night Shift, I improvised quite a bit because I would improvise at the audition so sometimes I would return to the original lines and then when I was on set I would improvise even more," he said. DETAILS BELOW Michael Keaton (born September 5, 1951) is famous for being movie actor. Hes a really nice guy, Michael, but its not even their name, I think?. Michael Keaton had no clue what director Tim Burton was talking about when he was pitched Beetlejuice, so he turned it down several times. Its like making movies with Tim [Burton], he says, those eyebrows rising in various directions. Rumours of a Beetlejuice sequel have circulated ever since the original film was released in 1988. I just thought, I know what Im doing, and I could be wrong, but in terms of what Tim and I discussed for the movie, I knew we were right on, he says now. Michael Keaton improvised many of his lines throughout the film. In a way, it's almost hard to appreciate,. This . When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. In 2010, 58-year-old Glenn Shadix, who played Otho in the movie, fell in his kitchen and died of blunt trauma to his head. Theres me taking a pause: I really like life, doing things, having a normal life. Michael Keaton is set to return for a Beetlejuice sequel, according to reports. He does it because he needs to, because hes not this gigantic strapping macho man, Burton later said. Short of the Week - Describe What You Heard, On Baz Luhrmanns Romeo + Juliet and Growing Up, ORWAVs Top 20 Films of 2021: #1 Petite Maman, ORWAVS Top 20 Films of 2021: #2 The Green Knight. how much did michael keaton make for beetlejuice. His short stories have appeared in various magazines and anthologies, such as Devolution Z, Sirens Call Publications's Monster Brawl!, Centum Press's 100 Voices, and Tales from the Lake: Vol. Michael Keaton, Brat Pack fan? I had no idea what he was talking about, but I liked him, Keaton said in a 2014 interview of Burton. Michael Keaton Suggested Making The Afterlife A Dreary "Unemployment Office" Setting In that same oral history for CBC Radio, which was also part of a radio show called q, hosted by Tom Power,. Breaking news and interviews on comics, sci-fi, horror and more. 3 from Crystal Lake Publishing. 4. Reportedly, House Ghosts was their preferred title, because being too on the nose is no such thing in Hollywood. Its the life, he says, that he dreamed of as a little boy. During production, Keaton improvised a lot of his dialogue. I don't think we have very much to worry about anymore." Adam Maitland. Fortunately for Huston, she got another chance at an eccentric, dark comedy in the shape of Barry Sonnefeld's The Addams Family. That's an incredibly short time for any lead actor, so he must've been thrilled about this since he's been rather frank about how he enjoys having time to himself (to go fishing). He suggested placing the shrimp down on their faces, shooting their fall, and then playing the film backwards in the edit. He also creates video essays and supercuts for the YouTube channel I Got Touched at the Cinema. Interestingly, an earlier draft of the script called for Betelgeuse to be an African-American man, so it would make sense to get someone of Davis' talent and caliber for the role. Despite only being shown for a measly 17.5 minutes out of a possible 92, Michael managed to improvise almost all of his lines. Considering the movie is named after his character, Michael Keaton has a surprisingly small amount of screen time as Beetlejuice only 17 minutes. Don't miss a beat. The most striking thing about them is how little he has changed: on stage, he comes across as a nervy, neurotic fast-talker given to flights of surrealism. Obviously, the character didn't turn out the way that McDowell and Wilson originally conceived and we saw the bio-exorcist ghost morph into more of a used car salesman. Tim Burton's Beetlejuice is the film which put director & Michael Keaton on the map. Part of HuffPost Entertainment. Just thinking about things, asking what you want, what you dont want, how am I going to get to there? He dated Courteney Cox, and Michelle Pfeiffer, but never married again. Betelgeuse is a crazy whirlwind that sweeps up the audience and co-stars alike, and behind all that elaborate makeup Keaton delivers a truly unforgettable 17 minutes of screentime. Mom (DVD, 1983) Michael Keaton Teri Garr Comedy at the best online prices at eBay! Juliette Lewis was almost Lydia instead of Winona Ryder! He can morph into pretty much any size or shape, swap voices in a split second, and go from charming to terrifying just as quickly. Really? he cries, bouncing out of his seat. Beetlejuice was originally a more laid back, lounge singer-type character, so a former Rat Packer would've made sense. 15 Mind-Blowing Things You Didn't Know About Beetlejuice, Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania Broke The MCU's Threequel Rule, Harry Potter's Luna Lovegood Actor Doubles Down On JK Rowling Defense, Why Obi-Wan Didnt Use Force Speed To Save Qui-Gon Jinn From Darth Maul. Mom and Beetlejuice. Since then, on the back of a major cult following for the film, fans have clamored to get a . And the truth is, Im not boasting, but I was correct. He has made a career out of taking the. After all, the original script doesn't sound like a big crowd pleaser. Michael Keaton is signed on to star in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice sequel . In The New Yorker, critic Pauline Kael compared the. Yeah, exactly, and not to be cute or cheeky, as they say he switches mercifully briefly into an appalling English accent but thats what keeps me interested. movie for Burton) and traded the New England setting of the original for a tropical one, in what eventually became known as "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian.". February 24, 2022 . If there is one reason to be glad that famed script doctor Warren Skaaren was brought in to lighten up the material, it is what the main antagonist would become instead. O'Hara and Welch were married in 1992, and have two sons, Matthew and Luke. Apparently, this was at the behest of the studio execs, who felt the audience wouldn't know the snake was actually Betelgeuse and not some other random monster. how much did michael keaton make for beetlejuice. Actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) commands the world with a snap of his fingers in the . Delia Deetz (Catherine O'Hara) was almost played by Anjelica Huston! Not only was the name Michael Douglas taken, but Mike Keaton too, in the form of the famous broadcaster. However, she wasn't the first choice for Barbara. You have to ask yourself, OK, what kind of movie is this? Yet his role navigates the entire film down a very weird and wonderful path, and his limited appearances are undoubtedly the highlights. [The film] just wasnt any good, man. Beetlejuice (1988) Awards. A publicist comes in to tell us our time is up, but he waves her away. While the film will always remain a cult favourite, it does look very dated now. Well, Michael Keaton may have played the starring role in Beetlejuice (credited as Betelgeuse), but did you know he has just a minuscule 17 minutes screentime in this 92-minute film? He came up with the title Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian to throw the studio executives off their desire to make a sequel, but surprisingly, they liked the concept and the Beetlejuice sequel has been in development under that title for decades. But despite the fact that the Maitlands died by drowning, they appear dry in the netherworld. One of the Intentive and handsome Michael John Douglas who is known as professionally.Michael Keaton is an American Actor, producer, and director.He starts his career in 1975 as a Volunteer role in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. As fans recall, the film concludes with Michael Keatons Betelgeuse defeated before he can marry Lydia, who enjoys her own Harry Belafonte dance number after the Maitlands and Deetzes agree to co-exist in the home. "Beetlejuice 2" a sequel to the 1988 Tim Burton horror-comedy hit always seems to be on the tips of everyone's tongues when they interview Michael Keaton (who played the "ghost with the . In fact, ol' Betelgeuse was depicted as a winged, reptilian demon whose human form is that of a Middle Eastern man in the original script. Keaton told CBS Sunday Morning that despite being offered $15 million to do Batman 3, he turned it down for one simple reason: it "sucked." When asked to elaborate, he stated, "Yeah, it just was. Burton did just that, and it worked a charm. Finally, Betelgeuse was a real nefarious and unlikable character. Tim Burton jokingly offered Scared Sheetless as an alternative and cheeky reference to the scene where the Maitlands attempt to scare the Deetz family out of the house by wearing bed sheets. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News. With that said, it's showtime! Starring opposite Kim Basinger, Keaton was paid $5 million for the first film. Since Birdman, he has played the editor of the Boston Globes investigative journalism team in the 2015 ensemble movie Spotlight, which won a Best Picture Oscar; and he was a curveball choice as Ray Kroc, the man who turned McDonalds into a franchise, in 2016s too-little-seen The Founder. The character of Beetlejuice preceded Michael Keaton's involvement in the film. Financial analysis of Beetlejuice (1988) including budget, domestic and international box office gross, DVD and Blu-ray sales reports, total earnings and profitability. April 25, 2019. With a lot of ad-libbing involved, Keaton seems to be on a different wavelength to Baldwin and Davis entirely, which works incredibly well. [After kicking down a model tree] "Nice f***ing model!" Beetlejuice. Michael Keaton had no clue what director Tim Burton was talking about when he was pitched Beetlejuice, so he turned it down several times. Burton ended up defining his zany gothic visual style when he directed the film. Probably. So, here are 10 fascinating behind-the-scenes facts from the making of Beetlejuice. It. In that same oral history for CBC Radio, which was also part of a radio show called q, hosted by Tom Power, Larry Wilson (who also wrote 1991s The Addams Family) also talks about how they came up with the unique depiction of the hereafter as seen in Beetlejuice. I suppose you could say that's the thing I'm most proud of.". His walk is reminiscent of a roosters strut, with his chest puffed out and a bounce on his toes; that swagger we saw in 2014s Birdman, for which Keaton won a Golden Globe as the eponymous former superhero actor, was not a put on, it turns out. The script ends with a climactic scene where Beetlejuice wreaks havoc on the island by turning into a creature named "Juicifer," and Lydia summoning a giant tidal wave that washes the island clean of all the demonic creatures conjured by Beetlejuice. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates. Being around that is so much fun, you just want to be in that environment.. The ad I saw in the paper was for Betelgeuse. Even though the movie is called "Beetlejuice," the character only has 17 minutes of screen time out of a 92-minute running time. Hurley is training up a new damaged-but-brilliant recruit (Dylan OBrien), who wants to kill Middle Eastern terrorists after they killed his girlfriend. Burton jokingly suggested Scared Sheetless as a title and was mortified when executives actually considered using it. Was he also just sick of the bat-suit by then? Keaton spent two weeks filming his part. In the film Beetlejuice, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin make the title character appear by saying his name three times but makeup artist Ve Neill had to do it the hard way. It has become widely known that Geena Davis immediately signed on to portray Barbara Maitland after meeting with Tim Burton. Not really, no, and thats a good way of putting it: married, house, kid right away, career, a lot of attention, which is not something Im crazy about. looking very much like components of a giant watch -- spin along behind him. E_CatherineTeddy. As a result, his punishment was five years probation, counseling, and the requirement to register as an offender. Planes, Trains & Automobiles thats the movie I really wish Id been in! he says, citing the 1987 John Hughes classic starring John Candy and Steve Martin. the last song played at his memorial service. Joel Schumachers two Batman movies were notoriously terrible, starring first Val Kilmer and then George Clooney. The movies upbeat ending and other crucial aspects are key as to why Beetlejuice may just be the most delightfully strange and unusual movie ever made in which death is a major theme. I said I want hair that looks like I stuck my finger in an electrical socket. And I said I want mold because Tim said he lives under rocks,' Keaton recalled. Once we got something mixed in the mail, something from one of the [acting] unions, and I had to return it to him and we talked about it then. Academy Award nominee and Alec Baldwin has had a fantastic career, from his biting monologue in Glengarry Glen Ross to his twice Emmy-winning tenure in the 30 Rock cast, and, of course, his countless Saturday Night Live hosting gigs and hilarious random appearances. The song by Harry Belafonte used during the dinner party possession scene is one of the most memorable moments in the movie: But viewers can also faintly hear film composer Danny Elfman singing "Day-O" in the opening credit sequence when the Geffen logo appears (Elfman's vocals were added during post-production): Also, when Glenn Shadix who played Otho, passed away at the age of 58 in 2010, "Day-O" was the last song played at his memorial service. The proposed sequel was bizarre to say the least, but screenwriter Gems defended Burton's idea: "Tim thought it would be funny to match the surfing backdrop of a beach movie with some sort of German Expressionism, because they're totally wrong together.". All his good work, however, came crashing down in 2002 after he was nabbed for possession of illegal photos and the solicitation of a 14-year-old boy to pose for them. I dont hate it, but its never my first choice. 16. I interviewed Burton a few years ago and, meeting Keaton, it is obvious why the two men feel such an affinity (they are currently working together again, on Burtons live-action remake of Dumbo). Michael Keaton has always been eager to do the sequel and has maintained that hell happily do it if it gets into production today but Tim Burton didnt have any interest in it. He was the dazzlingly frenetic lead in Tim Burtons Beetlejuice, a largely improvised performance opposite fellow ghosts Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis. How can that be? Here are the 15 Shocking Things You Didn't Know About Beetlejuice. Sexual references and gestures include Beetlejuice grabbing his crotch and dry humping. When you see [the movie], you understand probably why it was hard for him to explain, Keaton said of the beloved horror-comedy about ghosts and the obnoxious poltergeist, Beetlejuice. The thick black curls that helped make Michael Keaton look so manic in all those 1980s comedies, and which he then tore at as a tormented Bruce Wayne in Tim Burtons Batman movies, are long gone; but the satyr-like eyes are unchanged. 15. Burton's original pick for the part was Cheers star Kirstie Alley. Do you know any other interesting things about Beetlejuice? The actor, who turned 70 on Sunday, needed a lot of convincing to play the iconic character. I do what interests me.. The studio eventually brought on Jonathan Gems (who went on to write the "Mars Attacks!" With buzz building for a possible follow-up to Beetlejuice, director Tim Burton's 1988 horror . It was actually Dick Cavett who came up with the solution to this problem. 14. He currently resides in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, USA. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. According to celebritynetworth.com Keaton was paid $5 million for 1989's Batman (that's worth $10 million today). The two are often each others dates to award ceremonies: Sean came to the Golden Globes when his dad won for Birdman, and Keaton tearfully thanked him, calling him his best friend. Juice! BEETLEJUICE WAS NEARLY CALLED SCARED SHEETLESS. Man, you got me going on this!, We spend 10 minutes nerding out over The Breakfast Club, before he thinks back to when he met Hughes while making Mr Mom: I read the script and I thought, Wow, this is really funny, this guy has something. And then I met John and I said, You ought to direct this [too]. But he said no, he was off to direct those movies starring people closer to your age, he says, referring to the teen movies, which is sweet, because I am in my late 30s. Then the duo went their separate ways for decades. There's a lot of stuff that happened behind the scenes and many things that fans don't know about the movie. Mom. The movie would've followed the Deetz family as they moved to Hawaii and then discovered their company was built on ancient burial grounds. Burtons world in Beetlejuice is typical of his early films: dramatic, odd, and otherworldly. If you want to see Beetlejuice in the flesh, book a flight to Universal Studios, where Beetlejuice's Rock And Roll Graveyard Revue has been playing since 1992. Take a visual walk through their career and see 13 images of the characters they've voiced and listen to 4 clips that showcase their performances. Looking back, it seems like a perfect casting as Ryder has become synonymous with Lydia. American actor Michael Keaton has been honored with numerous awards and nominations for his work in film and television. The dead lead lives of noisy desperation in "Beetlejuice," the absolutely exhausting new musical that opened on Thursday at the Winter Garden Theater. Youre my hero, my best friend and I love you so much. Keaton, standing behind his son and moving excitedly from side to side, pinked with delight. His family visited him, and there have been girlfriends (he is in a relationship now, but its the one subject he refuses to discuss), but in the main he was on his own. I didnt, he says, but he used to shout at me, Hey, the brotherhood! And Id go, Hey! But I had no idea what he meant. The Maitlands quickly have to learn to navigate Tim Burtons freaky view of the afterlife, monster-ridden deserts and all. Neill, whom you may . This concept came from the brain of Michael McDowell, who worked with Larry Wilson on the story. I didnt really like sleepovers I liked sleeping outside.. Now 25 years later, it is reported that a sequel is finally going forward with Burton in talks to direct and Keaton returning to star. Free shipping for many products! Nowadays, Keaton cites Beetlejuice as one of the most fun movies that he ever made and a favorite of his filmography. However, there have been talks that Burton will return for a Beetlejuice sequel, along with Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder. Maybe it'll still be set in Hawaii? The witch doctor shrinks Betelgeuses head and he quips, This might be a good look for me.. Unfortunately, studio executives didnt like the idea of Sammy Davis, Jr. playing Betelgeuse and vetoed that decision. When Tim Burton first signed on to helm Beetlejuice, his top choice for the title role was Sammy Davis, Jr., of whom hed been a huge fan since childhood. Larry Wilson also spoke to Yahoo! ago. Keaton spent just two weeks shooting all of his scenes and has since called it the favorite role he's ever played. Michael Keaton : Betelgeuse (Beetlejuice) Supporting Cast. Actually, I say, I wrote a book about why those movies are the most important ever made. Just pick a rack. And then I thought of an idea of teeth and an idea of a walk., Keaton informed Burton over the phone that he had something cooking which he believed could work. Her self-described strange and unusual personality and appearance was first dreamed up by co-writer Larry Wilson, who revealed in an oral history for CBC Radio that he found inspiration while seeing The Cure perform in concert. Davis and Baldwin are the normal characters in the film, the ones youre supposed to relate to the most. Keaton spent two weeks filming his part. Its an action movie. It was producer David Geffen who actually suggested Michael Keaton to the director, and it stuck. A passage from Tim Burton: A Childs Garden of Nightmares - a biography about the filmmaker penned by Paul A. An afterlife waiting room abounds . . He plays an automobile executive, Jack Butler, who loses his job in the 1980s and . One actress in contention, though, was Juliette Lewis, who found fame in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers and as the flamboyant singer of Juliette and the Licks. For Keaton, he wasn't too keen on Beetlejuice when he received the script. My boredom level is fairly low. By Ben Brantley. Free shipping for many products! This is not as much The Joker, played by Jack Nicholson, got, but it is quite a hefty sum, especially at that time. Ever since the original was released and proved successful, Warner Bros. wanted Tim Burton to make a sequel. He also tries to coerce Lydia (Winona Ryder) into marrying him. A Lighter and Brighter Approach That Failed You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. That would not be the only time during the making of Beetlejuice when he came at odds with the studio. Aside from Beetlejuice's name the Maitlands also say the word "home" three times to escape Beetlejuice, and it's the number of times they knock on the door to get to the After Life. Beetlejuice is still rocking audiences today at the Universal Studios in Orlando and Japan, but was replaced by Spider-Man Rocks at the Universal Studios Hollywood location in 2002. It was both, he says. Keaton has enjoyed a long and successful acting career that has spanned from the 1970s all the way into the current era. Burton apparently wanted the character to appear as though he had lived in every time period, but to be from no specific period at all. 20. Keaton literally spits out his coffee with laughter. As such, it often takes a little bit of persuasion to convince these actors that a project is worth their time. Thus, an animatronic snake was utilized, which bore no likeness to him. Beetlejuice is kind of a strange name when you think about it. In fact, it's probably due to these contract issues that most movie stars are reluctant to sign long-term TV deals. This clever recommendation would lead to the creation of the creepy office setting where the Maitlands literally spend three months waiting to see someone, amid a whos who of truly unfortunate souls. The film celebrated its 30th anniversary in March 2018. The classic film directed by Tim Burton came out 25 years ago, and tells the story of the recently departed who have become ghosts, and their journey through the Netherworld and our world. Hadley, huh? While it does seem like the cast and crew had a whale of a time on set, it wasn't all roses and sunshine. My niece is called Hadley, he says, shaking my hand, and embarks on a winding digression about Ernest Hemingway, whose first wife was called Hadley, and various Hemingway descendants whom Keaton has met over the years, and do I know them (I do not), and how I really ought to meet them. But, look, there was some really horrible taste in the 90s, and I probably contributed to that, unfortunately. Considering that Keaton started out as predominantly a comedy actor, ad-libbing is second nature to him. If you would like your comment to be considered for inclusion on Weekend magazines letters page in print, please email weekend@theguardian.com, including your name and address (not for publication). Dealing with the mental side of things? Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Beetlejuice DVD (2009) Michael Keaton, Grenada Davis, Alec Baldwin at the best online prices at eBay! OK. You have to buy into the programme.. The actor gained enthusiasm for the character when he first arrived on the set in costume and the crew chanted, Juice! Beetlejuice's history is well documented.Released 30 years ago, the film made over $73m from a modest $13m, and sat among 1988's highest grossing films, alongside Rain Main and Big.It launched . As you all know, most movies aren't filmed in the same linear sequence as the script; therefore, you might get the ending completed before the first scene is even shot. Yet, the movie might have had far less laughs if Warner Bros. settled on co-writer Michael McDowells original vision for a more straightforward scary movie in which, according to Consequence, the title character was a murderous, shape-shifting winged demon who takes human form as a small Middle Eastern man. Yes, we're being completely serious about this plot. Heck, you only need to look at why Keaton dropped out of Batman Forever, saying the script was terrible and he just wasn't interested. Please refresh the page and try again. Future two-time Academy Award nominee Winona Ryder also had very little experience making films when she starred in Beetlejuice as Lydia Deetz, who initially becomes the sole seer of the Maitlands spirits when she moves into their house with her father (Jeffrey Jones) and stepmother (Schitts Creek cast member Catherine OHara). Jeffrey Jones built up quite an extensive career for himself, acting in movies such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Crucible, Stuart Little, and Beetlejuice. A perfectly enormous gear comes barreling toward him. Michael Keaton said in a recent interview that he has been speaking with Tim Burton about making Beetlejuice 2.During a junket for his latest film, Robocop, the actor told MTV that the sequel is . LOUD TICKING. | 'Creed III' Review. That's a real bummer, isn't it? They tell me he lives in Montana. Keaton was the youngest of seven children in a working-class family, and they never went to the cinema because it was too expensive to buy tickets for all the kids. But when he was approached with the script, he wasn't sure about jumping on board. This is predominantly down to Burtons artistic style in the late 80s and early 90s (and what from the 80s doesnt look dated, anyway?) From Beetlejuice to Batman to Birdman: the actor on superheroes, surprise roles and his second act. "Barb, honey we're dead. That would have been an experience.. A year before he first donned the cape in Batman, this is truly Keaton at his wildest. For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. Woods - uncovers a moment when Warner Bros. executives suggested House Ghosts as a more marketable title for the film than Beetlejuice. Well, Michael Keaton may have played the "starring role" in Beetlejuice (credited as "Betelgeuse"), but did you know he has just a minuscule 17 minutes' screentime in this 92-minute film?