Ghostbusters: Afterlife was a welcome return-to-series form for many OG franchise fans, even though it didn't have any of the legendary set pieces from the original. While we here at CinemaBlend thought some things worked and some things didn't work with the reboot, we were excited to hear a sequel was greenlit by Sony at last year's CinemaCon. Production is now underway on Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2, and Jason Reitman just teased a return of a beloved location that will get hardcore Ghostbusters devotees super excited for the sequel.
The first Afterlife director, Jason Reitman, shared an image on his Instagram showing him and fellow director Gil Kenan (who's taking over directorial duties for Afterlife 2) dressed in construction gear and hardhats posted up against a brick building that is under construction. The photo was accompanied by a simple one-word tease, "firehouse." You can check out the teaser image below:
Including the iconic Ghostbusters' firehouse won't shock fans of the first Afterlife, considering it was teased in the post-credit scene. After the credits roll, we are treated to a look toward the franchise's future. We learn that Winston Zeddemore, played by Ernie Hudson, has repurchased the old firehouse in NYC, intending to reopen the company, which could be the focus of the follow-up to the 2021 adventure.
Reitman previously revealed that while work on his first Ghostbusters film was codenamed "Rust City" during production, the sequel is working under the codename "Firehouse." While the Ghostbusters filmmakers did not reveal the film's official title, the word "Firehouse" was shown in bold red letters alongside a drawing of the team's iconic base of operations to tease that it is a central location to the next chapter.
While the first Ghostbusters movie is one of the best New York movies, the 2021 reboot saw a welcomed change of scenery by setting the film's events in a rural town in Oklahoma. The firehouse's inclusion seemingly confirms early reports that the next movie would return to the Big Apple.
It's an excellent time to be a fan of the long-running supernatural-horror comedy series because it was announced last year that Netflix is getting a new animated Ghostbusters series from Reitman's team as well. This will mark the first time in nearly 30 years that the team of paranormal investigators will grace the small screen. The Real Ghostbusters, which continued the adventures of the primary characters from Ivan Reitman's classic 1984 film, became a smash hit. It went on to run seven seasons, spawning truckloads of merchandise, before ending its run in 1991. An edgier sequel '90s series, Extreme Ghostbusters, premiered in 1997 before being canceled after one season. Now, along with the Afterlife sequel presumably returning to NYC, we'll also see the return of our favorite ghost hunters return in animated form as well.
If bustin' makes you feel good, mark your 2023 movie release calendars because we're returning to the ectoplasm-covered world and the firehouse sooner than you might think as the next movie in the Ghostbusters franchise is set to hit theaters on December 20, 2023.
