Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (titled Ghostbusters: Legacy or Ghostbusters: From Beyond[1] in some markets) is an upcoming American supernatural comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Reitman and Gil Kenan. It stars Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd, while Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Annie Potts reprise their roles from the original films. It is the direct sequel to Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989) and the fourth film overall in the Ghostbusters franchise. Set thirty years after the second film, a family moves to a small town, where they discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and their grandfather's secret legacy.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Teaser poster with original release year and window
Directed byJason Reitman
Produced byIvan Reitman
Written by
Based onGhostbusters
by Dan Aykroyd
Harold Ramis
Starring
Music byRob Simonsen
CinematographyEric Steelberg
Edited by
Production
company
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • November 11, 2021 (2021-11-11) (United States)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

A third Ghostbusters film had been in various stages of development since Ghostbusters II in 1989. After Murray refused to commit to the project and after the death of cast member Harold Ramis in 2014, Sony instead produced a reboot. After the film underperformed at the box office, Reitman began developing a sequel to the original films. The new cast members were announced by July 2019, while the original cast signed on two months later.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 11, 2021, after being delayed three times from an original July 2020 date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film will be released in IMAX, RealD 3D and Dolby Cinema.

Premise

After being evicted from their home, two children and their single mother move to a farm in inherited from their late grandfather located in Summerville, Oklahoma. When the town experiences a series of unexplained earthquakes, the children discover their family's link to the original Ghostbusters, who have become something of a myth as many have long since forgotten the events of the "Manhattan Crossrip of 1984". They discover the secret legacy that their grandfather left behind.[2]

Cast

Production

Development

During the 1990s, following the release of Ghostbusters II, Dan Aykroyd wrote a script for a third film tentatively titled Ghostbusters III: Hellbent.[13] The concept had the characters transported to an alternate universe version of Manhattan called Manhellton, where the people and places are "hellish" versions of Earth, with the Ghostbusters meeting and confronting the devil.[14][15] At the time, Aykroyd stated that the studio was interested, though the principal actors (especially Bill Murray) were not. It featured a new, younger group of Ghostbusters, while Ray, Egon, and Winston struggle to keep the business going upon Peter's relationship becoming serious with Dana.[15] Much of this concept was recycled years later, for Ghostbusters: The Video Game in 2009.

By 2004, movement on a sequel was revisited by the studio, though Bill Murray again expressed his disinterest in the project, stating that he dislikes sequels.[16] The following year, Ramis confirmed plans to introduce Ben Stiller into the principal cast.[14][17] By 2009, however development of the project had stalled.[13] By January 2010, Reitman confirmed that he would be directing the film.[18][19] In March, Murray discussed development of the film, and his intentions to reprise his role.[20][21] A release was scheduled for Christmas 2012.[22] In the October issue of Vanity Fair, Aykroyd commented on the screenplay written by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, stating that he was particularly impressed with how Murray's character had been written, and the implementation of the new team with the original team, while he and Ramis would work on a second draft of the script.[23]

By August 2011, Aykroyd stated that the plan was for filming to begin later that year, with the story of the mantle being assumed by the younger generation.[24][25] Later, when Murray decided to pass on reprising the starring role of Peter Venkman, Aykroyd announced the possibility that another actor might replace him.[26] Aykroyd also mentioned that he wanted Moranis to return as Louis Tully.[27] By February 2012, the film was placed on hold as the production team reevaluated the project. Without Murray, the studio searched for replacement actors and considered featuring his character as a CGI-rendered ghost.[28] In June, Murray again acknowledged that all involved were attempting to develop the third film once more before dropping out of the film the following month.[29][30][31] In July, Aykroyd confirmed that the film was back in development, with a script re-write from Etan Cohen.[32] Aykroyd said of the script that "It's got to be perfect. That's the whole thing. There's no point in doing it unless it's perfect. So that's what we're up to now."[32] By September 2012, Reitman announced the developments of a remake.[33] In May 2013, Aykroyd discussed plot points including real-life experiments being done by college students at Columbia University being source for inspiration. The plot would revolve around research being done by the university, which would bring about threats from other dimensions with a new team of Ghostbusters forming to save Earth's plane of existence from supernatural threats.[34] The script reportedly wrote Murray's character in, with hopes that the actor would decide to join the production.[35]

After the death of Harold Ramis on February 24, 2014,[36] Sony Pictures stated that Ramis would appear in the film through use of a cameo. With the script needing to be reworked following Ramis' passing, the project was delayed once again.[37] By March 2015, it was confirmed that Reitman would not be directing the third film, but would remain as producer with plans to begin principal photography by early 2015.[38] Sigourney Weaver later revealed that her character's son will feature as a member of the team.[39] Again, the project delayed as the studio searched for a new director.

A new film connected to the original two films, tentatively titled Ghostbusters 3, was revealed in January 2019. Jason Reitman, son of original director Ivan Reitman, was announced to direct from a script he co-wrote with Gil Kenan, while Ivan Reitman will serve as a producer.[40] According to The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit, the film will feature teenagers, two boys and two girls, as the new recruits for the titular team.[41] The film was scheduled to be released on July 10, 2020, but was delayed to March 5, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[42][43] Principal photography began in July 2019 in Calgary and ended in October of that same year.[44][40]

Director Jason Reitman has stated the film will ignore the events of 2016's Ghostbusters reboot directed by Paul Feig. Later, in February 2019, Reitman stated on a podcast that this film will "hand the movie back to the fans". Reitman clarified that he did not mean to snub the 2016 film, and that he had "nothing but admiration" for Feig. Feig himself stated that Reitman had been a supporter of his film, and that he "can't wait to see his take on the Ghostbusters universe".[45] Reitman later explained the origins of his film, that the idea of a young teenage girl wanting to be a Ghostbuster had come to him, and with positive reaction from Feig's film, proved out that the idea that anyone could be a Ghostbuster would work. Reitman continued that the Ghostbusters franchise could readily expand on this idea with all types of people becoming Ghostbusters, personally thanking Feig for making this possible.[46] Aykroyd, of Reitman's script, stated, "Jason Reitman wrote a beautiful, heartfelt script that takes the real DNA from the first two movies and transfers that directly to the third, the next generation. It hands the legacy off to a new generation of stars, and players, and actors, and characters."[47] Bill Murray, also confirmed to be returning to reprise Peter Venkman, said of the script, "The script is good. It's got lots of emotion in it. It's got lots of family in it, with through lines that are really interesting."[48]

Casting

Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, and Carrie Coon were announced in March 2019, cast as the sister and brother with their single mother, respectively.[5][3] Reitman described Grace as an avid fan of the series and a perfect fit for his teenaged-girl Ghostbuster concept.[46] Wolfhard was unsure if he would get the role as he had already dressed up as a Ghostbuster during the second season of Stranger Things and that "Jason Reitman is probably not even going to look at my tape" because of that.[49] On June 27, 2019, Paul Rudd shared a video on the official Ghostbusters social media accounts revealing that he had been cast in the film, later confirmed to be Mr. Grooberson, the children's new teacher that knows of the Ghostbusters' legacy.[6][50][2] Newcomers Celeste O'Connor and Logan Kim were announced as cast in July 2019.[51]

In addition, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Annie Potts have been confirmed to be reprising their roles from the first two Ghostbusters films.[52][8][47][48]

Filming

Under the working title "Rust City", principal photography began on July 12, 2019, in Calgary, Alberta and area, and lasted until October. Location shooting in surrounding communities such as Crossfield, Beiseker,[53] and Drumheller took place during July and August 2019.[54] Additional locations around Alberta were also used.[54][55][56] On October 18, 2019, Reitman posted a photo on his Instagram account confirming that filming had wrapped after 68 days.[57]

Marketing

On August 22, 2019, toy manufacturer and multimedia company Hasbro announced that they have obtained the master toy license for the Ghostbusters franchise, with the new products (including action figures and role play items) set to be released in stores in April.[58]

Release

Ghostbusters: Afterlife was originally scheduled to be released in the United States on July 10, 2020, by Sony Pictures Releasing,[42] but it was delayed to March 5, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, taking the release date of Uncharted.[59] On October 21, Sony pushed the film once again to June 11, 2021,[60] then later in January shifted the release to November 11, 2021.[61] The film will be released in RealD 3D, IMAX and Dolby Cinema.[62]

References

  1. "Everything happens for a reason. Watch the new trailer for #Ghostbusters: From Beyond in theaters next summer". Empire Movies' official Facebook. December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  2. Breznican, Anthony (December 6, 2019). "First Look at 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife'". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  3. Kit, Borys (March 29, 2019). "'Captain Marvel' Actress Mckenna Grace Nabs Starring Role in Jason Reitman's 'Ghostbusters' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  4. Marc, Christopher (September 12, 2019). "Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trailer Reveals The Family Is Indeed Related to Egon Spengler". HN Entertainment.co. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  5. Galuppo, Mia (March 1, 2019). "'Ghostbusters': Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard in Talks to Star". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  6. Kroll, Justin (June 27, 2019). "Paul Rudd Joins 'Ghostbusters 2020' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  7. Slater, Georgia (November 9, 2019). "Dan Aykroyd Says Bill Murray Will Reprise His Original Role in Ghostbusters 2020". Yahoo!. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  8. Burwick, Kevin (September 16, 2019). "Dan Aykroyd & Ernie Hudson Confirm Their Return in Ghostbusters 2020". Movieweb. Archived from the original on September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  9. Bennett, Anita (June 8, 2019). "Sigourney Weaver Confirms She'll Appear In 'Ghostbusters 3' Along With Other Original Stars". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  10. Hoai-Tran, Bui (June 18, 2019). "Annie Potts Confirms Return as Janine in Jason Reitman's 'Ghostbusters' Sequel". Slash Film. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  11. Hemmert, Kylie (November 6, 2019). "Oliver Cooper Joins Sony Pictures' Ghostbusters 2020 Movie". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  12. Lawrence, Gregory (September 22, 2020). "J.K. Simmons on 'Whiplash,' J. Jonah Jameson, 'Palm Springs,' and More".
  13. Van Camp, Jeffrey (December 29, 2009). "Could Ghostbusters 3 Start Filming This Summer?". Collider. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  14. "Ramis Plans Ghostbusters 3 with Stiller". Hollywood.com. November 6, 2005. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  15. "IGN FilmForce Exclusive: The Stax Report: Script Review of Ghostbusters 3: Hellbent!". IGN. July 30, 2002. Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
  16. Franklin, Garth (April 16, 2004). "Major Franchise Sequel Rumours". Dark Horizons. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  17. "'Ghostbusters 3' in the Making". Hollywood.com. May 18, 2005. Archived from the original on August 13, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  18. Connelly, Brendon (May 25, 2009). "Aykroyd Reveals Details of New Ghostbusters 'Leader' and Busting Tech". /Film. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  19. Barton, Steve (March 18, 2010). "More Ghostbusters 3 Chatter – Reitman Out?". Dread Central. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  20. "Bill Murray Talks Ghostbusters 3 on Letterman". ShockTilYouDrop. CraveOnline. March 1, 2010. Archived from the original on April 6, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  21. "Bill Murray on the Ghostbusters 3 "Nightmare"". CraveOnline. April 28, 2010. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  22. Sciretta, Peter (May 3, 2010). "Ghostbuster 3: Dan Aykroyd Says Filming Starts This Fall For 2011 Release, Harold Ramis Claims in Theaters "Christmas 2012," Bill Murray Says "It's Just a Myth"". Slashfilm.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  23. Michals, Susan (October 5, 2010). "Dan Aykroyd Writing Ghostbusters 3 Script, Selling Vodka Out Of His RV". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  24. "Interview Clips: 'Ghostbusters 3' is a Go for 2012". The Dennis Miller Show. Westwood One. August 25, 2011. Archived from the original on September 10, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  25. "Dan Aykroyd Drops Significant Ghostbusters 3 Details". ComingSoon.net. August 25, 2011. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  26. O'Neal, Sean (February 13, 2012). "Dan Aykroyd now saying he'll just recast Bill Murray's part in Ghostbusters 3 | Film | Newswire". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  27. Plumb, Ali (February 12, 2012). "Dan Aykroyd On Ghostbusters 3 Rumours". Empire. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  28. "Ghostbusters 3: Suspended Animation". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. February 29, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  29. "Ghostbusters 3 Back on Track With New Screenwriter, but Will Bill Murray Be Aboard?". E! Online UK. July 10, 2012. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  30. O'Connell, Sean. "Bill Murray Updates 'Ghostbusters 3′ on Letterman: 'We'll Try Again'". ScreenCrush. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  31. Williams, Andrew (August 2, 2012). "Dan Aykroyd: I'm sad Bill Murray won't be in Ghostbusters 3". Metro. Archived from the original on August 3, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  32. "New 'Ghostbusters' sequel hires 'Men In Black 3' writer | Film & TV News". Nme.Com. July 11, 2012. Archived from the original on March 3, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  33. "Ivan Reitman and Lauren Shuler Donner DAVE Blu-ray Interview". Collider.com. September 25, 2012. p. 197275. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  34. Pantozzi, Jill (May 21, 2013). "Dan Aykroyd May Have Just Given Us Concrete Ghostbusters 3 Plot Information". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on June 10, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  35. "The Project Dan Aykroyd Interview". Network Ten. October 18, 2013. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  36. Doty, Meriah (February 24, 2014). "Harold Ramis, Star of 'Ghostbusters,' Director of 'Caddyshack,' Dies at 69". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  37. Siegel, Tatiana; Kit, Borys (February 25, 2014). "'Ghostbusters III' Script to Be Reworked Following Harold Ramis' Death". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 16, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  38. Kit, Borys (March 18, 2014). "Ivan Reitman Out as 'Ghostbusters' Reboot Director". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  39. Blume, Lesley (June 9, 2014). "The Making of Ghostbusters: How Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and "The Murricane" Built "The Perfect Comedy"". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  40. Breznican, Anthony (January 15, 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: Jason Reitman is directing a new 'Ghostbusters' movie". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  41. Pearson, Ben (January 15, 2019). "Jason Reitman to Direct New 'Ghostbusters' Movie, A Sequel to 1989's 'Ghostbusters 2'". /Film. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  42. Hipes, Patrick (January 26, 2019). "'Morbius' & 'Ghostbusters' Solidify Summer 2020 Release Dates". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  43. Huff, Lauren (March 30, 2020). "Sony delays 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife,' 'Morbius' and more movies due to coronavirus". EW.com. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  44. "Something Strange in the Neighborhood? Next Ghostbusters to be filmed in Calgary". CBC. February 22, 2019. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  45. Barsanti, Sam (February 21, 2019). "Paul Feig defends Jason Reitman after seemingly sexist Ghostbusters comments". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  46. O'Connell, Sean (June 11, 2019). "Jason Reitman Answers Major Questions About His Ghostbusters Movie". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on June 12, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  47. Bonomolo, Cameron (November 8, 2019). "Ghostbusters 2020: Dan Aykroyd Confirms Return of Original Cast". comicbook.com. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  48. Breznican, Anthony (January 23, 2020). "Exclusive: Hanging With Bill Murray on the Set of Ghostbusters: Afterlife". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  49. Davids, Brian (July 12, 2019). "Finn Wolfhard on 'Stranger Things,' 'Ghostbusters 2020' and Hanging Out With 'It' Co-Star Bill Hader". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  50. Ghostbusters [@Ghostbusters] (June 27, 2019). "Look who accepted the call. #GB20" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  51. Kroll, Justin (July 8, 2019). "'Ghostbusters 2020' Rounds Out Cast With Two Newcomers". Variety. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  52. Reinstein, Mara (June 7, 2019). "Sigourney Weaver Reminisces on Her Career, Alien and the Upcoming Avatar". Parade. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  53. "Notification of Filming in Beiseker, Alberta" (PDF). Village of Beiseker. July 18, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  54. Rieger, Sarah (December 9, 2019). "Ghostbusters: Afterlife trailer sees the Ecto-1 drive through some familiar Alberta locations". CBC News. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  55. Burwick, Kevin (July 12, 2019). "Ecto-1 Rolls Out as Ghostbusters: Rust City Begins Shooting". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  56. Volmers, Eric (July 12, 2019). "What we know about Ghostbusters 2020, being shot in and around Calgary". The Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  57. Lawrence, Gregory (October 18, 2019). "Jason Reitman Posts Wrap Photo from the Set of 'Ghostbusters: Rust City'". Collider (website). Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  58. "Hasbro to Launch 'Real Ghostbusters' Action Figures This Spring". The Hollywood Reporter. February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  59. Galuppo, Mia (March 30, 2020). "Sony Delays Release of 'Morbius,' 'Ghostbusters,' More Films Due to Coronavirus". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  60. Rubin, Rebecca (October 21, 2020). "'Ghostbusters' Sequel Moves to Summer 2021". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  61. D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 21, 2021). "Sony's 'Cinderella' Dances To Summer, 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' To Fall, 'Uncharted' Eyes 2022 & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  62. Evangelista, Chris (June 10, 2020). "Upcoming Sony IMAX Releases Include 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife', 'Venom 2', 'Morbius', and 'Uncharted'". /Film. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.