Ghostbusters Afterlife: Everything You Need to Know

(Updated 07/29/2021)

Hold the phone: This fall, the Ghostbusters are back in GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE. The all-new sequel is coming to a theater near you courtesy of director Jason Reitman, whose father, Ivan Reitman, directed the original GHOSTBUSTERS movies.

Unlike 2016’s GHOSTBUSTERS, which was a reboot of sorts, the new film is a direct sequel to the first two films originally released in the ’80s. It features a mix of new characters and some very familiar faces. Join us as we take a closer look at this exciting new sequel, and lay out everything there is to know about GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE.

The Ghostbusters: Afterlife Release Date

Ghosts will be busted once again when GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE comes to theatres on November 11, 2021.

This new GHOSTBUSTERS movie was announced with very little prior fanfare about its development, which was a closely guarded secret. When first announced, the film didn't even have a release date, but that info was released only weeks after the movie was announced. Unfortunately, the events of 2020 pushed the date back. But now the wait is almost over!

A Tantalizing Teaser and Terrific Trailer

The first teaser for GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE is very intriguing, but it doesn’t show us very much. It’s nighttime out in the country, and we hear spooky music (the same music used in the original GHOSTBUSTERS) as the camera pans across a field covered in leaves and into a large shed. Sparks and little crackles of electricity come from an unseen gadget. There's something large underneath a giant tarp. The wind kicks up, and we see what’s under the tarp: The original Ghostbusters car, the ECTO-1! The vibe of this footage is more horror than comedy, which in many ways calls back to the original film, too.

Then there's the latest GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE trailer, which reveals a lot more about the story setup. It also gives us a lot more clues about how this film relates to the first two movies. It's a great new look at the future of GHOSTBUSTERS.

The Spooky New Story

We don’t know too much about the plot of GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, but here’s what’s been revealed so far. The film is a direct sequel to 1984’s GHOSTBUSTERS and 1989’s GHOSTBUSTERS II, both directed by Ivan Reitman. Those films followed a team of paranormal investigators who help people dealing with ghosts in New York City: Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Egon Spengler (the late Harold Ramis), and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson).

The new sequel follows a family as they move to small town, where they uncover secrets about their family’s interesting history and the town itself. As Sony says, "Callie [is] a single mom struggling to survive in Chicago with her two kids, 12-year-old Phoebe and 15-year-old Trevor. When Callie receives news of her long-estranged father's passing - a father she never even knew - she and the kids pack up the Subaru and move to the small midwestern town of Summerville."

Meet the New Cast

Carrie Coon, best known for her roles in TV’s “The Leftovers” and "Fargo," in addition to a small role in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, plays Callie, the mom of the family. She has two children, played by CAPTAIN MARVEL’s McKenna Grace (above) and “Stranger Things” favorite Finn Wolfhard. Paul Rudd, aka Marvel’s ANT-MAN, also appears as a teacher who is friends with Callie, and who knows at least a little something about what the Ghostbusters were. Bokeem Woodbine from TV’s “Fargo” has a supporting role as a local sheriff.

Reitman has said that GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE was inspired by an idea he had about a teenage girl becoming a Ghostbuster, and he’d like his film to set up the possibility that anyone could become a Ghostbuster if they wanted.

What Does This Have to Do With the Original Ghostbusters?

With Annie Potts showing up in the new trailer as Janine, it seems pretty clear that Callie is the daughter of Egon Spengler, originally played by the late Harold Ramis. And Phoebe, the young character played by McKenna Grace, is clearly styled to resemble Egon. But Callie doesn't seem to know anything about her father's career as a Ghostbuster.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Bridging the gap between the original films and this new sequel is a bunch of familiar faces: Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Dan Aykroyd are all returning to reprise their roles from the classic movies. (That sure does sound like Bill Murray picking up the phone at the end of the new trailer.)

They’re joined by co-star Sigourney Weaver, reprising her role as Dana Barrett, who went from client to possessed demonic entity in the original movie. (In GHOSTBUSTERS II, Dana had become a single mother, just like Coon’s character in GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE.) Also joining in on the fun, as we see in the new trailer, is Annie Potts, who played the Ghostbusters’ sassy receptionist, Janine Melnitz.

The biggest question we have right now is whether GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE leans more into action, horror, or comedy. The trailers have indications of all of the above. The original GHOSTBUSTERS has had such a long life in part because it combines those genres in a way that is almost impossible to replicate — but this new generation seems like it is perfectly set up to succeed. We're ready to believe!

Watch for more news about GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE soon!

All images courtesy of Sony Pictures.