The next Ghostbusters movie will hit theaters on Dec. 20, 2023.
The sequel is a follow-up to director Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which at long last revived the marquee franchise for Sony. The studio announced the high-profile 2023 release date on Tuesday.
Earlier this month on “Ghostbusters Day,” Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan confirmed what the end credits of Ghostbusters: Afterlife hinted at –— that the live action sequel will return to the original films’ New York City and firehouse setting.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which debuted in theaters in November 2021, earned more than $200 million at the global box office despite the pandemic.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter prior to Ghostbusters Day, Reitman and Kenan teased details about 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. Which would not have made sense to anyone until they saw the movie. The code name for the next movie is ‘Firehouse,’” Reitman said.
Reitman made Ghostbusters: Afterlife with his father, the late Ivan Reitman, who directed the original Ghostbusters films. The elder Reitman passed away earlier this year.
Afterlife reunited the original Ghosbusters stars, including Bill Murray. It is unknown if Murray was planned for a return, but that could prove potentially complicated. Murray was starring in Aziz Ansari’s Searchlight film Being Mortal, when it was shut down in April after the studio received complaints about his behavior on set.