All Rights Reserved. But, yeah, I would have loved to have worked with him. However, she wasn't the first choice for Barbara. It was a time of nouveau riche excess everyone was known for their jets and their stuff. Heres the amazing part about it: He never saw any of it. Keaton was actually born Michael Douglas, but when it came to joining the actors' union he realised that name was already taken. During production, Keaton improvised a lot of his dialogue. It was both, he says. how much did michael keaton make for beetlejuice. In fact, he reportedly ad-libbed about 90% of his lines. 3 from Crystal Lake Publishing. Here's all the behind the scenes facts & trivia fans should know. It's safe to say that without his unique quirks and ad-libs, Beetlejuice wouldn't have been quite the same. Luckily, Beetlejuice would up winning that battle, but there was another person from the Beetlejuice cast who had his own concerns about the films potential. Warner Bros. executives didn't like the name Beetlejuice and pushed to have it changed to House Ghosts. 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. Can he even remember any of that presumably pretty overwhelming decade? For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary. Beetlejuice is kind of a strange name when you think about it. There was a scene at the table. A passage from Tim Burton: A Childs Garden of Nightmares - a biography about the filmmaker penned by Paul A. One of the fondest memories of Beetlejuice is the dinner scene where the guests are supernaturally compelled to dance to Harry Belafonte's "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)". Photograph: Fox/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock. Woods - uncovers a moment when Warner Bros. executives suggested House Ghosts as a more marketable title for the film than Beetlejuice. This shouldn't come, as a surprise as Burton was renowned for casting his movies a little more differently than others. Geena Davis was the only cast member who was actually eager to sign up for Beetlejuice. This is predominantly down to Burtons artistic style in the late 80s and early 90s (and what from the 80s doesnt look dated, anyway?) With Burton again, he played Batman as a conflicted nerd, rather than a grinning muscle man. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates. Michael Keaton Talks Birdman, working with Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu, Batman, Beetlejuice, Jackie Brown, Much Ado about Nothing, and more at SBIFF. Director Tim Burtons sophomore feature-length effort sees Academy Award nominee Michael Keaton at his kookiest, creepiest, and most unrecognizable in the (sort of) title role of a self-described bio-exorcist whom the recently deceased Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis) mistakenly believe will help them rid their home of a snobbish family. While we can't imagine anyone else but Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse nowadays, Tim Burton originally wanted someone else for the part: the legendary Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr. It wasnt just me. Despite only being shown for a measly 17.5 minutes out of a possible 92, Michael managed to improvise almost all of his lines. By Ben Brantley. The screenplay for Beetlejuice was originally written as a straight horror film. "I thought it would be much more interesting to take someone like that and make him into Batman. E_CatherineTeddy. He plays an automobile executive, Jack Butler, who loses his job in the 1980s and . While they are trying to think deeply about how they will solve their crisis, Betelgeuse is jabbering away in the corner and distracting them as much as possible. More than 30 years since we were first introduced to the ghost with the most in 1988s Beetlejuice, fans still revel in saying his name three times and revisiting the bizarre, hilarious exploration of the afterlife, either during the Halloween season or any time of the year. When it was changed to a comedy, the studio wanted to call the movie House Ghosts. They kept shooting it, but the guys under there couldn't really see where their hand was going and they poked each other in the face. But, look, there was some really horrible taste in the 90s, and I probably contributed to that, unfortunately. 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. RELATED:Tim Burton's 10 Best Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes. In Birdman, he plays an actor so neurotic, he ends up running through Manhattan in his underwear. 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. about another much-needed improvement that was made to Beetlejuice, specifically the ending. Speaking about the movie to Uproxx, cinematographer Tom Ackerman recalled the fond experience of working on it. The ad I saw in the paper was for Betelgeuse. "But since Tim told me to I did and then we dated and we're married and here we are today," he said. So I may have lost interest, combined with a whole lot of people not knocking on my door. Reportedly, actresses Molly Ringwald, Diane Lane, Sarah Jessica Parker, Brooke Shields, and Jennifer Connelly all turned down the role of Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice (maybe they thought the script was too weird?). 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. 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. Its the life, he says, that he dreamed of as a little boy. I mean, if you look at the specificity of John Hughes direction in those movies, its incredible, he continues. Tim Burtons paranormal comedy Beetlejuice is one of the most beloved cult classics in Hollywood history. Did they swap bat tales? Michael Keaton improvised many of his lines throughout the film. BEETLEJUICE WAS NEARLY CALLED SCARED SHEETLESS. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day, Get the scoops first! Shadix had been extremely proud of Beetlejuice, saying in a 2008 interview that was posted on his website, "We had so much fun filming this unusual and so very original movie that I had a feeling something very special was happening.". 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 ask if it was strange having an only child when he grew up in such a big family. Its all fun, man, Keaton says, and at a point when you dont have anything to prove? I said, I wish I could do it. Wilson was replaced by Warren Skaaren later on, in an effort to make the script more accessible and comedic. He has made a career out of taking the. Burton must've enjoyed the experience because he cast the actor in his next project, 1989's Batman. Following his star-making turn in 1982 comedy Night Shift, the actor popped up in hits like Mr. how much did michael keaton make for beetlejuice. Keaton spent just two weeks shooting all of his scenes and has since called it the favorite role hes ever played. Despite playing the title character, Michael Keaton only has 17 minutes of screen time in Beetlejuice. 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. The famous snake scene was actually done before Michael Keaton was cast as the lead character. My fathers side, the Scottish Protestant side? Although the franchise planned for a third movie, Keaton decided not to return to the franchise, despite being offered a lucrative $15 million deal. While "Beetlejuice" deals with death and ghosts, is still often described as a comedy. As The Playlist noted earlier this year, the original script included more gruesome violence and presented Michael Keaton's title character in this way: "He was envisioned as leather-winged demon whose humanoid form is that of a squat Middle Eastern man (subsequent drafts had him talking in a kind of African American pidgin dialect).". The Maitlands quickly have to learn to navigate Tim Burtons freaky view of the afterlife, monster-ridden deserts and all. Michael Keaton Only Spent Two Weeks On Set Interestingly, despite Michael Keaton receiving top billing for Beetlejuice, he appeared in less than 20% of the movie and only rocked up around the 25-minute mark. He also kisses Barbara without consent and lifts her skirt. Dealing with the mental side of things? While the film will always remain a cult favourite, it does look very dated now. Probably. One definitive example of this is the famous Day-O scene, which was apparently a more complex and problem-ridden process than you might have expected. It's amazing. Anyone familiar with the controversial reception to 1992s Batman Returns knows that Tim Burton is no stranger to receiving some pushback from his distributors, and Beetlejuice was apparently no exception. Birth Place: Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, USA Trending: 1,399th This Week Michael Keaton is a voice actor known for voicing Ken, Porco Rosso, and Chick Hicks. All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 1,101-1,200), All Time International Box Office (Rank 11,501-11,600), All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 2,201-2,300), All Time Domestic Box Office for Comedy Movies (Rank 101-200), All Time International Box Office for Comedy Movies (Rank 2,201-2,300), All Time Worldwide Box Office for Comedy Movies (Rank 301-400), Memorial Day (All Movies, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted), Easter (All Movies, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted), Easter (Opening, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted), All Time Domestic Inflation Adjusted Box Office (Rank 701-800), All Time Domestic Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 801-900), Top 1988 Movies at the Domestic Box Office, All Time Domestic Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 401-500), All Time Domestic Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 801-900), All Time Domestic Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 401-500), All Time Domestic Box Office for PG Movies (Rank 301-400), All Time Domestic Box Office for Warner Bros. 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Movies (Rank 301-400), 8.52 (domestic box office/biggest weekend), $15,000,000 (worldwide box office is 5.0 times production budget), 1,000 opening theaters/1,582 max. The studio eventually brought on Jonathan Gems (who went on to write the "Mars Attacks!" That would not be the only time during the making of Beetlejuice when he came at odds with the studio. 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! Back in 1988, Tim Burton unleashed Beetlejuice on the world. Oscar nominee Michael Keaton says he's ready to get reacquainted with one of his iconic roles. The movie would've followed the Deetz family as they moved to Hawaii and then discovered their company was built on ancient burial grounds. Following the success of his feature Pee-Wees Big Adventure, Burton was sent a bunch of scripts, but since they were unoriginal and uninspired, none of them really grabbed him. how much did michael keaton make for beetlejuice. 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. As he walks into a London hotel room on a grey Saturday morning, holding a cup of coffee, he looks strikingly different from the man I have spent four decades watching on screen: he has the trim, spry build of a wiry woodsman rather than a 66-year-old actor, thanks to half a lifetime spent in rural Montana, fishing and hunting. But maybe this is just another of Keatons surprises? Burton, of course, loved the look of the character Keaton had created. A change., I dont get the impression its a change hell necessarily repeat. Michael Keaton had no clue what director Tim Burton was talking about when he was pitched Beetlejuice, so he turned it down several times. No one else could pull off angsty, goth girl like she could at the time or maybe even now. Tim Burton, though, wanted to do something a little more different than what the two envisioned and brought Warren Skaaren on board to polish things up, aka change things. Before deciding on Michael Keaton, the producers considered Bill Murray, Jack Nicholson, Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, and Dudley Moore. how much did michael keaton make for beetlejuice. News of actor Michael Keaton's death spread quickly earlier this week, causing concern among fans across the world. After Tim Burton described the character as existing in all times and all spaces, Keaton had the idea to give Betelgeuse an eclectic wardrobe, hair like he stuck [his] finger in an electrical outlet, rotten teeth, and mold all around his face to really sell him as an ancient, grizzled entity - which might have been much different from what Burtons original choice could have looked like. 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. Welch told Uproxx the story of how the relationship happened: "Towards the end of the movie Tim [Burton] told me, we were shooting in Vermont, 'You should ask Catherine out.' From Beetlejuice to Batman to Birdman: the actor on superheroes, surprise roles and his second act. Before Beetlejuice was settled on as the final name of the movie, there was a bit of back and forth regarding what it should be called. Keaton is not a straight Q&A kind of guy; his approach to conversation is a little like his eyebrows, looping in memorable and unexpected directions. As the rumor goes, Anjelica Huston was all but set to play Delia Deetz; however, she had to bow out of the production due to illness. The man truly is full of surprises. As the actor recalled to Charlie Rose during a 2014 interview, he actually had a lot to do with the creation of Betelgeuse (as his name is actually spelled in the film). A Beetlejuice sequel has proven tougher to conjure up than Michael Keaton's rambunctious spirit. So what are you waiting for? There are a whole load of people who ran things that are long gone.. 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. It must have been particularly hard for them, facing so much scrutiny during Batman, but Keaton insists he wasnt aware of it or not until he happened to pick up the business section of a newspaper and saw a cartoon of his face in an article suggesting that he, personally, would damage Warner Bros stock. Cinemablend is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. It has become widely known that Geena Davis immediately signed on to portray Barbara Maitland after meeting with Tim Burton. O'Hara was immediately on board after meeting with the director. He spent those years hanging out in Montana, hunting with neighbours and walking in the woods. | 'Creed III' Review. They love it so much, in fact, that when they die just 10 minutes into the film in a sudden car accident, their main purpose becomes to successfully haunt the house and rid it of its uncaring, obnoxious new owners. so a former Rat Packer would've made sense. During production, Keaton improvised a lot of his dialogue. All the other actors including Michael Keaton, Catherine OHara, Winona Ryder, and Sylvia Sidney turned down the script when they first read it. Two, Betelgeuse was meant to assault Lydia and not marry her as per the final version. You seem like a really nice guy and I know youre creative, but I dont get it.'. The actor, who turned 70 on Sunday, needed a lot of convincing to play the iconic character. Beetlejuice made good money for Warner Bros. From a budget of $15 million, it brought in over $73 million and developed a rabid following. Was he drawn to acting because he was used to having an audience of siblings? Do you know any other interesting things about Beetlejuice? It's time to feed your thirst for Beetlejuice knowledge with behind-the-scenes secrets and all of the things that could have been. For this piece, let's take a closer look at. Do you remember when people would write off John Hughes and those movies he made?. Once hes released into the outside world, its very hard to get rid of him. Jun 29, 2022. is aquafresh toothpaste discontinued . ago. A scene-stealer that plays the title role in a film? Its an action movie. I want to be around this. Far from being the lead character, Betelgeuse doesn't even make an appearance until 25 minutes in. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Mr. Thankfully, Burton saw the potential to make something else and pushed for all the changes. He also creates video essays and supercuts for the YouTube channel I Got Touched at the Cinema. Read critic reviews. 13. The film celebrated its 30th anniversary in March 2018. Juliette Lewis was almost Lydia instead of Winona Ryder! American Assassin is released on Thursday. There's a lot of stuff that happened behind the scenes and many things that fans don't know about the movie. They tell me he lives in Montana. He was just a really social little guy, so thoughtful and sensitive and practical, and always hanging out with friends, whereas I wanted to be on my own playing in the woods, he says, his voice softening. Aw, man! At the end of the day, Tim Burton decided to go with Winona Ryder after being wowed by her performance in 1986's Lucas. You see, a lot of a film's marketability is in its title, so the studio wanted to make sure it was just right and didn't think Beetlejuice was catchy enough. 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. 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. But I also consciously started to slowly change things internally, and it worked.. 5 Jun. by . 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. With that said, it's showtime! Keaton spent two weeks filming his part. Also, instead of the climatic scene where Beetlejuce tries to marry Lydia (Winona Ryder), in the original script he tries to rape her. "The only one I think I can deal with is Edgar Allan Poe's daughter. With a lot of ad-libbing involved, Keaton seems to be on a different wavelength to Baldwin and Davis entirely, which works incredibly well. I feel I made a pretty good case earlier for why Beetlejuice is remembered as one of the most beloved horror-comedy movies and how its surrealist approach to that genre crossover is key to its enduring iconography. Okay, maybe that last bit is a lie, but did it at least make you laugh considering that you made it this far? 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. "Barb, honey we're dead. But he is clearly having a ball on this, the second wave of his career. 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 . 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 . Ever since Beetlejuice became a box office success, the studio has been trying to get a sequel off the ground.