Who you gonna call…when “Ghostbusters” comes back to the screen in summer 2020? Now titled “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” Ivan Reitman, director of the original 1984 blockbuster and its 1989 sequel, is returning to produce the film, while son Justin Reitman (“Juno,” “Up in the Air,” “Tully“) will co-write and direct. The younger Reitman’s accolades include a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and a Writers Guild (among others) for his 201o “Up in the Air.” The world of “Ghostbusters” is undoubtedly familiar to the younger Reitman, as he reportedly spent time as a child on the sets of the original films.
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The newest addition to the “Ghostbusters” family will be set in the same cinematic universe as the first two films, albeit set in modern-day. “This is gonna be a love letter to ‘Ghostbusters,'” Reitman told Vanity Fair, earlier this year. “I want to make a movie for my fellow “Ghostbusters” fans.” It will be a separate entity from director Paul Feig‘s 2016’s “Ghostbusters” and instead be considered the third installment to the originals.
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The plot is a little bit vague still. Here’s the official synopsis:
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From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman, comes the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. The film is written by Gil Kenan & Jason Reitman.
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The movie is seemingly introducing a new generation of “Ghostbusters,” and the cast includes Paul Rudd (“Ant-Man“), Mckenna Grace (“The Haunting of Hill House,”) Finn Wolfhard (“Stranger Things,“ “It,”) and Carrie Coon (“Avengers: Infinity War,” “Gone Girl“). “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment in addition to Montecito Picture Company and Ghostcorps.
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In the summer, Sigourney Weaver (“Ghostbusters,” “Alien,” “Avatar“) shared with Parade that she will be reprising her role in the 1984 film as Dana Barrett, the New York Philharmonic cellist with a serious ghost infestation, but don’t really look for classic “Ghostbusters” in this new trailer. Weaver was close-lipped about any other information regarding the film, exposing only her involvement with the project. “The script was so funny and full of heart.” Weaver told Parade, “I knew it would be big.”
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” opens in theaters July 10, 2020. Watch the first trailer below, which is decidedly heartland-esque and takes the “Ghostbusters” franchise far outside its New York comfort zone.