Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel will take the Spengler family back to Manhattan

Directed by Jason Reitman from a screenplay he wrote with Gil Kenan, Ghostbusters: Afterlife (watch it HERE) pulled in around $200 million at the global box office on a budget that was around $75 million. So it makes sense that Sony has officially given a greenlight to a sequel, which will once again be coming to us from Reitman and Kenan. During yesterday’s Ghostbusters Day events (held on the 38th anniversary of the release of the original Ghostbusters movies), Reitman revealed that the codename for the sequel they’re developing is Firehouse. A nod to the Ghostbusters’ base of operations in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II. The writers also revealed that the sequel will follow the Spengler family (Carrie Coon as mom Callie, Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace as her kids Trevor and Phoebe) as they leave the small town setting of Afterlife behind and return to Manhattan.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Kenan said,

We’re writing as quickly as we can. We had the story before we finished Afterlife. And we have been crafting this with as much care as it took to build Afterlife into a worthy sequel.”

The returning Afterlife characters will be joined in the film by Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore, as

The character of Winston Zeddemore and Zeddemore Industries figures strongly into the future of Ghostbusters.”

Reitman and Kenan confirmed that they discussed the future of the Ghostbusters franchise with Reitman’s father Ivan Reitman, who created the franchise with Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, before Ivan passed away shortly after the release of Afterlife. The younger Reitman said,

We talked about what we wanted to see happen to the Spengler family and even outside the Spengler family. And he was so excited. He was just thrilled about where we wanted to go. And sitting there, telling him what we wanted to do with the story was a daunting responsibility, but his enthusiasm for it is what fuels us today.”

Reitman and Kenan are also working with Dark Horse Comics on a Ghostbusters comic book series that will bridge the gap between the events of Afterlife and the new sequel they’re developing now. Reitman said,

When we first talked about Afterlife three years ago at Ghostbusters Day, our hope was that it would lead to all kinds of great storytelling, that it wouldn’t be a one-off film, but the opening of a door. And today, that promise comes true. If you’re a Ghostbusters fan, you’re about to have access to all different decades of Ghostbusters history as well as the future, characters you haven’t met yet, and places you haven’t gone yet. If you’re a Ghostbusters fan, you’ve got a lot coming your way.”

We’ll keep you updated on the progress of the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel as the project continues to move forward. Are you happy to hear that the story of the Spengler family is going to continue? Let us know by leaving a comment below.