Original franchise star Dan Aykroyd praises Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman, calling him perfect for the property's legacy. Though there was a Ghostbusters movie back in 2016, fans have been waiting a long time to see a proper continuation of the beloved paranormal comedy franchise. While the 2016 Ghostbusters rebooted the series with an all-female team, Afterlife will act as a sequel to the original 80s movies and center on the newest generation of Ghostbusters. Once scheduled for release last year, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is one of the many movies to have been displaced by the pandemic; it will finally roll out this fall.
Centering on a single mother (Carrie Coon) and her two kids (Finn Wolfhard and McKenna Grace), Ghostbusters: Afterlife sees the small family move into the home that once belonged to the kids' grandfather. This leads them to discover their ties to the original Ghostbusters crew, right as a series of strange occurrences rock their town. Excitingly, Afterlife will feature cameos from the original cast, including Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, and Aykroyd.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is directed by Jason Reitman, the son of Ivan Reitman, who helmed the first two franchise installments. Because of that, Jason certainly felt like a natural choice to take over, and the cast evidently thinks so too. In a new interview with Cigar Aficionado (via CinemaBlend), Aykroyd commented on Reitman's abilities as a director. The franchise vet described Reitman as the "perfect inheritor of the legacy as a writer, storyteller and director." Aykroyd added, "His vision derives seamlessly, respectfully and honestly from the original films. Can't wait to see the lines around the multiplex."
With Ghostbusters: Afterlife having been delayed so much, the only indicator of the movie's quality has come from the stars themselves. Still, their early comments have been quite promising. Murray has said Afterlife brings the Ghostbusters franchise back to life, and Reitman even confessed the movie made his father cry. Now, Aykroyd has given his own seal of approval to Reitman's work; it sounds like fans have a lot to be excited about with this latest installment.
It remains to be seen just what kind of role Aykroyd and his former co-stars will have in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but it does look like they will be reprising their original roles. That alone would make for an exciting prospect. However, the added element of Afterlife looking to bring the franchise to a new generation holds much promise as well. Should Ghostbusters: Afterlife yield sequels (which always seems likely), Reitman might find himself on board for those future installments as well. As Aykroyd said, Reitman is the perfect inheritor of the franchise, and it'll be exciting to see where he takes it next.
Source: Cigar Aficionado (via CinemaBlend)
