Although the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife is primarily spotlighting new characters, there will be plenty of familiar faces from Ghostbusters past along for the ride. And unlike 2016’s Ghostbusters reboot, Bill Murray and the other original Ghostbusters actors involved will reprise their original roles. The public just has to wait a few more days until Afterlife premieres in theaters, but Murray recently shared a funny take on what he’s heard about how people who saw it early responded.
Between Ghostbusters: Afterlife’s world premiere yesterday and the surprise screenings at August’s CinemaCon and October’s New York Comic-Con, a handful of people have been lucky enough to see the latest Ghostbusters adventure ahead of the masses. Bill Murray caught wind of the early reactions to the movie, and here’s what he had to say about that while visiting The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with costars Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson:
Everyone who has seen it says that they cry at the movie, so it should be an extremely successful comedy.
Ah, that classic Bill Murray wit. While the Ghostbusters franchise doesn’t lack for fantastical elements, it’s rooted in comedy, so there’ll surely be plenty of humorous moments in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. That said, this movie has also been described as being more “emotional” than its two direct predecessors, so those of you eager to check out Afterlife should be prepared to cycle through the opposite ends of the emotional spectrum.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife will mark the first time that Bill Murray has played Peter Venkman on-screen since 1989’s Ghostbusters II, as 2016’s Ghostbusters saw him cameoing as Dr. Martin Heiss. Murray will be accompanied in Afterlife by Dan Aykroyd’s Ray Stantz, Ernie Hudson’s Winston Zeddemore, Sigourney Weaver’s Dana Barrett and Annie Potts’ Janine Melnitz. They join a lineup of newcomers consisting of McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd, among others. Behind the scenes, Jason Reitman followed in his father Ivan’s footsteps by taking the directorial reins, and he also co-wrote the script with Gil Kenan.
Plot-wise, Ghostbusters: Afterlife follows a single mother and her two children moving to a farmhouse in Sumerville, Oklahoma left by the kids’ late grandfather. Pretty these youths, Phoebe and Trevor, notice strange things happening around town due to supernatural phenomena, and well as discover that their grandfather was Egon Spengler, one of the original Ghostbusters. While it’s still unclear exactly how Egon’s old teammates and their allies fit into the main story, judging by the final trailer you can watch below, Peter, Ray and Winston will be ready to help vanquish whatever spectral threats emerge.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife opens wide on Friday, November 19, but you can read CinemaBlend’s review of the movie now. Our 2021 release schedule is also available for those of you curious what other remaining movies are left this year.
