Last Updated: March 2, 2021
The Ghostbusters franchise will continue with Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and there's already so much we know about the film. So far, the movie franchise includes 1984's Ghostbusters, 1989's Ghostbusters II, and the 2016 female-led Ghostbusters reboot.
The movie series kicked off in the early 1980s by following the fictional Ghostbusters team - parapsychologists Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Dr. Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), and their friend Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) - on their various adventures as a ghost removal service. The sci-fi comedy concept was such a hit with audiences that it spawned a sequel and a reboot and has gone on to be the subjects of animated TV shows, comics, toys, apparel, and more. Given how beloved Ghostbusters is, it's no wonder a new Ghostbusters film is on the way.
With production already completed and a release date set, it's officially time to get excited about the next Ghostbusters film. Here's everything we know so far, from the cast to the director, to which original cast members will return.
Click here to watch Everything We Know About Ghostbusters: Afterlife on YouTube.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife Release Date
Ghostbusters: Afterlife had its sights set on becoming a huge summer hit last year and it was originally scheduled for release in theaters on July 10, 2020. That is, until the COVID-19 pandemic threw the world into disarray, leading to shutdowns and theater closures. Ghostbusters: Afterlife was delayed until March 5, 2021, initially placing it into direct competition with Warner Bros.' new Tom and Jerry movie. However, Sony Pictures pushed back the film a couple more times, first to June 11, 2021 and then to November 11, 2021. It's unclear if the release date for the film will be delayed once more, but it seems like Sony has settled on a late 2021 release for now.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife Director
Jason Reitman directs Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Reitman's career has taken off as a director over the last decade or so. His feature-length film debut was 2005's Thank You For Smoking, starring Aaron Eckhart. He then moved on to the acclaimed Juno written by Diablo Cody and starring Elliott Page, Up in the Air with George Clooney, Young Adult with Charlize Theron, Labor Day, and most recently, the Hugh Jackman political drama The Front Runner. Reitman is an established director, but he is also the son of Ivan Reitman. Fans of the first two Ghostbusters films know Ivan directed them, and he returns as a producer, turning Ghostbusters into a family affair.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife Cast
At the center of Ghostbusters: Afterlife are two teenage siblings, Phoebe and Trevor, played by McKenna Grace (The Haunting of Hill House) and Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things). Their mom Callie is played by Carrie Coon, acclaimed for her work on The Leftovers. Paul Rudd also stars as Mr. Grooberson, the kids' summer school teacher, and an expert in the lore of the original Ghostbusters team. Relative newcomers Logan Kim and Celeste O'Connor are set to play heretofore unnamed supporting roles.
The most exciting development for fans of the 1980s movies is of course the return of Ghostbusters' surviving original cast to their classic roles. Bill Murray returns as Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd is back as Ray Stantz, Ernie Hudson reprises Winston Zeddemore, and Annie Potts once again plays Janine Melnitz. The only two actors missing in action are Harold Ramis, who passed away in 2014, and Rick Moranis, who's now mostly retired from movies.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife Story Details
Ghostbusters: Afterlife moves the franchise out of New York City for the first time, relocating to the small town of Summerville, Oklahoma. Siblings Phoebe and Trevor move with their mom into a house owned by their late grandfather, who none of the three knew well. It turns out he was none other than Egon Spengler, and when mysterious events of a possibly paranormal origin begin happening, the family uncovers their connection to the now long forgotten original Ghostbusters.
How Ghostbusters: Afterlife Fits Into The Ghostbusters Timeline
While Jason Reitman has stated that Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a sequel to only his father's films, and ignores Paul Feig's 2016 Ghostbusters film (which is a reboot and it makes sense why it's not a part of the chronology), it's a bit unclear if the events of Ghostbusters 2 are still being considered canon. In the marketing for Afterlife, references have only been made to the 1984 original, and talk about how the Ghostbusters have fallen into obscurity in the decades since the "Manhattan Crossrip" when Gozer arrived to wreak havoc. While Ghostbusters 2 isn't as beloved as the first film, many fans will undoubtedly be disappointed if its story is ignored.
One group of people that are already upset is the cast, crew, and fans of Ghostbusters 2016, who feel slighted, and see Ghostbusters: Afterlife as essentially erasing their film from history. Considering that the original Ghostbusters cast made cameos as different characters in that movie though, there's really no way to acknowledge the 2016 story and characters in a way that makes sense. Feig is also personally bothered because he really wanted to make a sequel to his film and it seems as though Afterlife shuts the door on that possibility.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trailer
Reitman released a teaser trailer in January 2019 featuring iconic Ghostbusters mobile the Ecto-1. In this Ghostbusters 2020 teaser, the camera pans in on something under a tarp in what looks like a barn or warehouse. A wind blows the tarp up to reveal the Ecto-1 and the Ghostbusters logo. The footage was specifically shot for the teaser and most likely won't be featured in any future trailers or in the film itself. In December 2019, Sony released the full trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which served to confirm the story's connection to Egon, and generally drew widespread praise. While there hasn't been a new trailer since, it's likely Sony will release new footage to get fans excited again once the film's release date draws closer.
