The Ghostbusters are back, again. After the 2016 reboot failed to make an impression with audiences, Sony Pictures quickly opted to head back to the main franchise canon with Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a true sequel to the original films. Not only that but the studio swung for the fences by casting both Finn Wolfhard and Paul Rudd, social media darlings, in lead roles. Members of the original cast are even set to appear as Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver have all signed on for the film. That’s still not all as Jason Reitman, the son of the 1984 original’s director, Ivan Reitman, wrote and directed Afterlife. Though sadly, the late Harold Ramis won’t be reprising his role as Dr. Egon Spengler, his fingerprints are all over this one as the film is set to follow Spengler’s grandchildren as they discover their grandfather’s legacy.
Their discoveries make up the bulk of the first trailer. No noticeable cameos from any of those OG actors or real ghosts to mention (though there are a few glimpses of a familiar green blob). Most of the trailer is spent setting up the modern-day world of the Ghostbusters universe. Wolfhard plays one of Spengler’s grandchildren alongside Captain Marvel‘s Mckenna Grace, who does most of the discovering in the trailer. There are a few hints at what to expect, like the Ecto-1’s first voyage in decades and a brand new small-town setting that’s a far cry from the NYC streets of previous entries. But, that’s really about it as this trailer leans heavily into the wonder and nostalgia surrounding the return of the franchise, similar to Star Wars‘ return with the first Force Awakens trailers back in 2015.
You can check it out below:
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is set to hit theaters on July 10th, 2020.
