I'm Batman... well... not really. But I could be...

Batman after a night of doing shots with Penguin and Two-Face

I had got permission to take my Saturday Graphic Novel class to see the actual costume Michael Keaton wore in Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster film BATMAN. Mind you, this was in the middle of Saturday's big public opening of the Higgins Armory Collection. Thankfully I had a small class, so getting permission to have them view the costume was a little easier than if I had the full 18 students.

This was really a unique experience for me. I've always been a fan of Batman. Not nearly the Batman aficionado my buddy Andy Fish is. But I had always liked the character. Whether you call him the Caped Crusader, Masked Manhunter or the ever popular Dark Knight. Batman has always been my favorite costumed hero.

And I enjoyed Tim Burton's movie when it first came out. So, seeing the costume relatively up close and personal was kind of like fulfilling a childhood wish.

13 or 14 year old Bret would have been quite pleased with 38 year old Bret.

The costume itself is a little rough shape. They did a great job trying to restore it. But heavy rubber, latex and leather do not do very well under hot lights with an actor sweating underneath.

This costume was also fashioned to fit Michael Keatons. Which left me with this thought. Theoretically I could be Batman. Judging by the size of the costume, Keaton wasn't really that much bigger than me.

Still, how Tim Burton got away with it in 1989 is really a testimony of Michael Keaton as an actor. Fans weren't terribly happy and neither was creator Bob Kane who envisioned his Dark Knight/Caped Crusader being a Cary Grant type actor. But both groups were won over by Keaton's performance.

Now that taller more physically built actors like Christian Bale have take the role. I don't think an actor under 5'10" would be accepted in the role anymore.

Nevertheless, it was a neat to see the costume.

Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian (2015??)

Thought I'd have a tiny bit of fun at the expense of you all. But lets go on the assumption that not only BEETLEJUICE 2 gets made. But they finally produce Tim Burton's original concept for the sequel which sees Beetlejuice and the Deetz family going to Hawaii. Seeing the original plot was written in 1990, of course several things would have to change. Especially considering Winona Ryder is quite a bit older when she played the part of daughter Lydia Deetz.

But here's how it could work.

26 years have passed since Lydia Deetz last did her mid-air Tango to Shake Shake Shake Senora (Jump in the Line) after nearly being forced to marry Beetlejuice. Since that time, she had not seen or heard of Beetlejuice and assumes he's stuck in the netherworld.

She has long since stopped dressing like a groupie at a Cure concert and has followed in her father's footsteps as a real estate developer first working with her Dad to create a super successful company and then starting a family with a pre-teen daughter who looks somewhat the way she did in the previous movie.

Although, Lydia has left most of her old life behind, the one thing she did keep was the model of the town Adam Maitland made from the first movie. The Maitlands are said to still haunt the house and gave Lydia the model as a gift when she left for college.

However, little did Lydia know that Beetlejuice somehow found a way out of the afterlife and is back to residing in the model town. Since Lydia has become more "ordinary", she no longer sees him. However, Lydia's daughter does. And that's how she's first introduced to Beetlejuice.

Before all this, the story begins with Lydia and her family moving to Hawaii. Lydia has been sent there to build a resort. However, she is unaware due to a scrupulous business partner (perhaps played by Paul Reubens) who does not tell her that the property resides on an ancient burial ground. During the dig, Lydia's daughter finds an Tiki idol.

Not unlike the one around Greg Brady's neck...

Which unleashes the spirit of an evil Kahuna spirit.

During dinner (because that's when all these conversations are brought up) Lydia's daughter asks her Mother about Beetlejuice. This awakens Lydia's memory. Especially what happens when you say his name three times. She tries to convince her daughter that there's no such thing and her daughter obviously imagines it. When Lydia's daughter nearly says his name a second time, Lydia snaps at her not to say his name. Lydia's daughter asks why? Lydia, no longer able to keep up the charade, tells her daughter everything and what a horrible person (or ghost) Beetlejuice is.

Things get worse (as they usually do) and the Kahuna spirit causes troubles in both Lydia's development and on the island. The island now being threatened by a volcano. Lydia's craven partner puts the blame on her and Lydia and her family are being threatened by everyone.

Lydia's daughter talks to Beetlejuice. Tells him that she knows what happened between him and Lydia. Beetlejuice promises he has changed (of course he hasn't) and says he can make everything right.

All she has to do is say his name two more times.

Which she does, much to Lydia's chagrin. And Beetlejuice is back.

Dialogue between Beetlejuice and Lydia might be something like this.

BEETLEJUICE: "Come on, babe. Aren't you glad to see me?"

LYDIA: "You disgust me!"

BEETLEJUICE: "Aw come on! You've gotta be a tiny bit glad to see the ol' B Man again?"

LYDIA (angrily): "YOU TRIED TO FORCE ME TO MARRY YOU!!"

BEETLEJUICE: "And I forgive you for leaving me standing at the alter. Hey! I'm not the kind of ghoul that holds a grudge."

Beetlejuice stays true to his promise and offers his service to deal with the Kahuna spirit. He challenges the Kahuna to a surfing competition.

What that might look like.

Beetlejuice wins dispatching both the Kahuna spirit and Lydia's scrupulous partner. Everybody loves them again and Lydia builds the resort in another part of the island. Later on Beetlejuice reappears and he and Lydia make amends. That is until Lydia realizes that Beetlejuice and the Kahuna spirit are now buddies. Beetlejuice and the Kahuna spirit reassure Lydia that everything is cool with the Kahuna spirit now that they are building in a different spot and Lydia's daughter returned the idol (yeah, that happens somewhere too) to its resting spot.

What Beetlejuice and the Kahuna spirit might look like in the film.

To prove it the Kahuna spirit breaks into a very Don Ho sounding rendition of Shake Shake Shake Senora with her daughter doing a mid-air tango much like her mother did in the first film. Lydia is holding out at first, but ultimately joins with her daughter, Beetlejuice and Kahuna.

Beetlejuice 2. And no. It won't star Robyn Thicke...

According to Michael Keaton, they've been given the greenlight to make BEETLEJUICE 2. What this means is that they have the go ahead to make the movie. That doesn't necessarily mean that they WILL make the movie. They've been talking Beetlejuice sequel since the movie came out in 1988.

To be honest, my feelings are mixed. Visually, I thought the original was a great movie. However, it was a movie I didn't necessarily enjoy. My biggest problem at the time (and still is) was the fact that title character played by the aformentioned Michael Keaton barely appears in the film. However, he stole the show in the scenes he appeared in.

I also found myself at the time very disturbed by some of the "deaths" portrayed during the Maitlands tour of the afterlife. I was just too young at the the time to really understand the jokes such as the "recently exorcized". Again, too young to appreciate the humor.

Like I mentioned, having the greenlight doesn't mean the movie will be made. They may talk about it for a year or so and then the movie ends up dying a slow death in pre-production hell. And much like previous attempts at a sequel, it never comes to fruition.

Personally, I think they should go with their original idea of BEETLEJUICE GOES HAWAIIAN. Tim Burton's concept was beach movie meets German Expressionism. To give you a better idea take BEACH BLANKET BINGO...

Now add THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI...

And there you go.

The story followed the Deetz family moving to Hawaii, where Charles is developing a resort. They soon discover that his company is building on the burial ground of an ancient Hawaiian Kahuna. The spirit comes back from the afterlife to cause trouble, and Beetlejuice becomes a hero by winning a surf contest with magic.

Seeing the time that has gone by since the first film, I'm sure changes could easily be made. Instead of having Charles Deetz developing the resort, having an adult Lydia Deetz now running her father's business. You could either have her married with a family, single mother or never married. Thinking Beetlejuice is long since out of her life, he suddenly reappears after all this time. If they were to make Lydia older and long since ditched the Robert Smith look from the first film, they could introduce a pre-teen daughter who dresses not unlike the way her Mum did in the first film who meets Beetlejuice much to Lydia's chagrin... or something.

Sure, if they were to produce that storyline it might end up being a complete and utter train-wreck. But it would be a train-wreck I wouldn't mind seeing just because I'd love to see beach movie meets German Expressionism.

However, something tells me if Beetlejuice 2 does see the light of day, it will be an all new story that will reintroduce the character to a new audience.

That is, if it is ever made.



If you say BEETLEJUICE three times, Robyn Thicke will appear. So DON'T say it... EVER!!