While fans were thrilled to see the heroes from the past returning for the last showdown, Ghostbusters: Afterlife‘s primary mission was to pass the torch on to a new generation. That means the recently announced sequel should focus on the new team and their subsequent adventures instead of just nodding at the past. That’s an exciting perspective, as the sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife might finally allow the beloved franchise to expand towards new directions. Of course, we all love a nostalgic tale from time to time, but it’s good to know Sony intends to do something fresh with the Ghostbusters.
As a direct sequel to 1984’s Ghostbusters and 1989’s Ghostbusters II, Ghostbusters: Afterlife honors the original films both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes. That’s because the revival’s director Jason Reitman’s father, Ivan Reitman, helmed the two original films and came back as a producer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Besides directing, Reitman (son) also co-wrote the script of Ghostbusters: Afterlife together with Gil Kenan. Sadly Reitman (father) passed away earlier this year and won’t be seeing the universe he helped created being expanded by his son. However, with the sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife announced, the Reitman legacy will remain alive for many years to come.
While Ghostbusters: Afterlife‘s $176 million box office might seem modest, the revival was launched when movie theaters were still feeling the worst effects of the pandemics. So, Sony rightfully weighted in the delicate context and decided that the revival was a commercial success. While Sony had previously announced its intentions to move forward with the franchise, so far we didn’t know their plans. Now that a sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife is in development, as well as a new animated feature, and animated series we can look forward to many ghost-busting adventures on the horizon.
Check out the announcement tweets from the Ghostbusters Twitter account down below.
“We’re writing another movie. Tonight, we’re going to share the code name for the next chapter in the Spengler family story.” –@JasonReitman, @GilKenan #GhostbustersDay
— Ghostbusters (@Ghostbusters) June 9, 2022
“The last time we saw Ecto-1, it was driving back into Manhattan: the home of Ghostbusters. That’s where our story begins. The code name is FIREHOUSE.” –@JasonReitman, @GilKenan #GhostbustersDay pic.twitter.com/P3QRild2Vs
— Ghostbusters (@Ghostbusters) June 9, 2022
via Collider