Three years ago acclaimed comedic director Paul Feig decided to dabble in the universe made famous by Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd. The 2016 film GHOSTBUSTERS: ANSWER THE CALL was a reboot (reimagining? re-something?) of the 1984 comedy classic starring Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver. The movie sported an all-female cast, much to the chagrin of angry man-babies across the Internet. However, despite strong humor and excellent chemistry between Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones, the film suffered from a lack of identity and a weak villain. It also failed to perform at the box office, earning just under $230 million worldwide.
Most movie pundits figured at that point that the franchise was deader than Vigo the Carpathian. However, a funny thing happened on the way to the Ecto Containment Grid. In true ninja fashion, director Jason Reitman released a quick tease this past January for an upcoming direct sequel to GHOSTBUSTERS II, ultimately titled GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE. This past Monday the world finally got a chance to see a full trailer for the first time and one man who was decidedly pumped? Paul Feig.
The BRIDESMAIDS director quickly took to Twitter to express his excitement of the upcoming project:
While I'm sure Paul Feig would have loved to continue his own Ghostbusting journey with a followup to the 2016 film, it just wasn't meant to be. However, it's great to see Feig supporting his fellow director as Reitman undertakes his own Ghostbusters journey. Jason Retiman was extremely supportive of Feig's film three years ago. In an industry that's rife with snark and sniping, it's refreshing to see two artists build each other up rather than tear each other down, especially when fan culture can get so toxic.
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE starring Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd, Finn Wolfhard, Sigourney Weaver, and Annie Potts scares its way into theaters July 10, 2020.