Looking for an update on the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) sequel? Well, in the famous words of Ghostbusters secretary Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts), we got one!
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Ghostbusters 4 (2023), or Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2, is officially out of the Ecto-Containment Unit. It will be hitting theaters on December 20 this year, and is expected to go into production in March.
A recent report, however, states that the film will start shooting in London, despite the fact that we know it takes place in New York City, as confirmed last year on Ghostbusters Day by Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan.
Perhaps the Ghostbusters are about to go "international" just like in IDW Publishing's long-running "Ghostbusters" comic book series, or maybe it's simply a case of Sony Pictures utilizing a film studio.
Either way, the project is officially is pre-production, soon to be in production, with Ghostbusters: Afterlife co-writer Gil Kenan now in the director's chair, and Jason Reitman on co-writing (alongside Kenan) and producing duties.
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There has been quite a bit of news surrounding the film as of late, such as the announcement that Gil Kenan will be taking the reins, the film's codename (or working title) which is Firehouse, and returning cast members.
Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Celeste O'Connor, McKenna Grace, Logan Kim, and Finn Wolfhard have been confirmed to be reprising their roles in Ghostbusters 4 as Gary Grooberson, Callie, Lucky, Phoebe, Podcast, and Trevor.
It is yet to be announced if the original Ghostbuster actors will also be making a return, however, Ernie Hudson has made plenty of suggestions in recent interviews that he will be reprising his role as Winston Zeddemore.
Special effects artist and actor Billy Bryan, best known for creating and portraying the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in Ghostbusters (1984) is also back on board - presumably as a member of the crew as opposed to the Stay Puft.
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Now, we have even more news about Ghostbusters 4, and it comes directly from director Gil Kenan, who recently took to Instagram to pose in front of the real-life firehouse used in all the Ghostbusters movies so far.
Check out his Instagram post right here, in which the caption reads as follows:
"I love this building so much ❤️ cannot wait to share the new ghostbusters story that @jasonreitman and I have written with the world. (could not fit the whole fire house in frame so have used cutting-edge computer VFX to add it in)"
The film has been described by Kenan and Reitman as a "continuation of the Spengler family story", however, naturally, no plot details beyond that very brief synopsis have even been remotely hinted at.
We do know that the film will be set in New York City - the "home" of the franchise. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is the only entry in the series so far to break away from the Big Apple, taking place in a fictional town in Oklahoma.
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Why and how the sequel will justify its return to Manhattan is likely already a given. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife's post-credits scene, we seen Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) re-opening the iconic firehouse.
Before the screen turns to black, we see a red light flashing ominously on the old Ecto-Containment Unit, suggesting that an old supernatural enemy is about to make a comeback. Vigo the Carpathian, perhaps?
Let's just hope it isn't Gozer or the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. While iconic Ghostbusters villains, there's no denying that they've been a little overused by this point, having most recently appeared in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
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As per the Ghostbusters/Sony Pictures website, here's the synopsis for Ghostbusters: Afterlife:
From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman, comes the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. The film is written by Jason Reitman & Gil Kenan.
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Ghostbusters: Afterlife stars McKenna Grace (Phoebe), Logan Kim (Podcast), Celeste O'Connor (Lucky), Finn Wolfhard (Trevor), Carrie Coon (Callie), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz), Sigourney Weaver (Dana Barrett), Paul Rudd (Gary Grooberson), Olivia Wilde (Gozer the Gozerian), JK Simmons (Ivo Shandor), Bill Murray (Dr. Peter Venkman), Dan Aykroyd (Dr. Ray Stantz), and Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore).
Ghostbusters 4 will be released in theaters on December 20, 2023.
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