The Ghostbusters franchise is a beloved part of American film history, and has been adapted into a few mediums in the decades since its debut. But
Ivan Reitman's 1984 original movie remains the undisputed fan favorite. Following Paul Feig's ill-fated Ghostbusters from 2016, the franchise is returning to theaters with Jason Reitman's Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The first trailer just arrived, and is deeply connected to the original film.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife will serve as a direct sequel to the original two films, with (almost) the entire original cast returning to reprise their roles. While those iconic stars aren't present in the first trailer, their appearance was surely teased throughout this first footage. Check it out below.
Well, that was exciting. And while we didn't get to see the likes of Dan Aykroyd or Sigourney Weaver, it's only a matter of time before the OG Ghostbusters appear in the marketing campaign for Afterlife.
The trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife takes the franchise out of New York City and into Summerville, Oklahoma. We're introduced to a family through the eyes of the oldest son Trevor, played by Stranger Things and IT standout Finn Wolfhard. He reveals the family is broke, and are in town to go through his late Grandfather's things. But it soon becomes clear that said Grandfather might have been an original member of the Ghostbusters team.
The family is also made up of mother Carrie Coon (The Leftovers), and his Trevor's younger sister Phoebe (Mckenna Grace). Soon after they move to the town, Summerville begins having unexplainable earthquakes. It looks like there's something supernatural brewing below the town. So that begs the question "who you gonna call?"
But it looks like Ghostbusters: Afterlife's group of kids, with the help of Paul Rudd's Ghostbuster stan Mr. Grooberson, won't be calling the Ghostbusters. Instead, they'll jump into action to handle the town's supernatural threat themselves. The trailers show as the motley crew of youngsters instead find some of the group's signature tech, and even the legendary Ectomobile. We watch as they sloppily drive and get used to the Cadillac's features, which includes a gunner straight out of the Millennium Falcon.
Overall, this first trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife is super promising, and should make the hardcore fans of the franchise very happy. The footage is shock full of call backs to the original set of movies, without actually having to reveal any of the returning actors. But its only a matter of time before we see the cast reassembled, including Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts.
Related: Ghostbusters 2020 First Cast Photo Of 'The Family' Reveals A Big Spengler Hint
Rick Moranis is the one original Ghostbusters star who isn't set to reprise their role in Afterlife. As such, I have a feeling that Trevor's grandfather might end up being Louis Tully. If Tully has died, it would certainly explain the character's absence from the upcoming sequel. And it would be a great way to keep the beloved hero's story alive in an unconventional way. Only time will tell, as we're still a number of months away from its release.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife will hit theaters on July 10, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
