I get the feeling that Ghostbusters: Afterlife is going to be one of those movies that generates heated debate, speculation and controversy until it is released. Some people are vehemently against the idea of a Ghostbusters sequel that doesn’t feature only the original cast members. Some people are upset that the 2016 all-female spin-off isn’t getting its own follow-up. Some people, like me, feel cautiously optimistic. A lot of people are feeling a lot of emotions but it seems few people are feeing genuine, no-strings-attached excitement.
That’s too bad because the more I hear of Afterlife, the better it sounds. We have a first trailer on the way soon but Vanity Fair just unveiled a few images from the film and gave us some insight to the plot and it’s promising. There is nothing too surprising here, it sounds like the movie most of us were expecting. But something about seeing these pictures makes it all feel more real and worthwhile to me.
Afterlife will follow a small family, consisting of a mother (Carrie Coon) and her two children (Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard) as they move to a small town and inherited house in Oklahoma. It is there that they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters, with the help of a kooky local teacher (Paul Rudd).
You can read more at the Vanity Fair article but the long and short of it is this: this movie IS a sequel that exists in the same universe as the classic first film. It will include the original characters and will reference the “Manhattan Crossrip”, also known as that time an apocalyptic ghoul tried to destroy Earth and a monster-sized marshmallow stomped down the streets of New York. This is a film that is very much building upon the established mythology and carrying on the story. While the article is pretty hush-hush about how the actors from the first film will appear, it is assured that they are all coming back. Except Rick Moranis. Damn.
This just sounds like the right approach to me. I want a Ghostbusters sequel and have wanted one for years. But I also know that it was always unlikely that Aykroyd, Murray, Ramis and Hudson would ever return for a straight-up sequel. I always assumed we would get a film like this: a legacy picture that carries the story forward and shifts focus from the four original Ghostbusters onto a new generation. And I am okay with that! I understand that it’s the natural progression of things. With that in mind, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is looking good to me. It’s the best chance we have at a movie that really maintains the spirit (hehehe) of the first film.
UPDATE: The first poster for the film is now added below.