Yesterday was Ghostbusters Day, and at the official event on the Sony Pictures lot, the duo behind “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” had a lot to share about the franchise’s future. And that future is stacked with new projects. On top of an upcoming live-action sequel to “Afterlife,” there’s an animated film, an animated Netflix series, video games, and a new comic book from Dark Horse. So, lots of “Ghostbusters” content in the near future.
Before the Ghostbusters Day celebration, “Afterlife” director Jason Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the next film. And based on what they said, the film’s codename, “Firehouse,” gives away what fans should expect in the sequel. “At the end of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” the Ecto-1 is driving into Manhattan, returning to its home. And before anyone ever heard the title “Afterlife,” we called it Rust City,” said Reitman. “Which would not have made sense to anyone until they saw the movie. The code name for the next movie is ‘Firehouse,’” Reitman continued. Obviously, that’s a reference to the Ghostbusters headquarters from the first two films in the franchise.
Reitman and Kenan remained quiet about the new film’s plot details but confirmed that Ernie Hudson would be back in his iconic role as Winston Zeddemore. “The character of Winston Zeddemore and Zeddemore Industries figures strongly into the future of Ghostbusters,” said Reitman. That’s about all Reitman would disclose, though. “We’re writing as quickly as we can,” Kenan added, “We had the story before we finished “Afterlife.” And we have been crafting this with as much care as it took to build “Afterlife” into a worthy sequel.”
Reitman directed “Afterlife” after his father, Ivan Reitman, helmed the first two Ghostbuster films in the ’80s. Ivan tragically passed away in February at the age of 75. However, before he unexpectedly passed away, Reitman and Kenan had a chance to let Ivan know their plans for the franchise. “We talked about what we wanted to see happen to the Spengler family and even outside the Spengler family,” said Reitman. “And he was so excited. He was just thrilled about where we wanted to go. And sitting there, telling him what we wanted to do with the story was a daunting responsibility, but his enthusiasm for it is what fuels us today.”
And there’s a lot of upcoming “Ghostbusters” content to be enthusiastic about. Sony Pictures Animation has not just an animated “Ghostbusters” film in the works, with “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” director Jennifer Kluska on board, but also a Netflix series. “An animated series and an animated film will allow us to go deeper into places that Dan Aykroyd talked about when he first talked about “Ghostbusters,”” said Reitman. Add in “Ghostbusters: VR Academy,” two virtual reality games set for release at the end of the year, and a Dark Horse Comics series that segues between “Afterlife” and its upcoming sequel, and that’s a lot of stuff for a film that only made about $205 million at the box office.
Still, “Afterlife” was the first “Ghostbusters” movie in over thirty years, and nostalgia is a powerful thing. Reitman finished his talk by saying, “If you’re a Ghostbusters fan, you’re about to have access to all different decades of Ghostbusters history as well as the future, characters you haven’t met yet, and places you haven’t gone yet. If you’re a Ghostbusters fan, you’ve got a lot coming your way.” It certainly sounds like it.