Ghostbusters: Afterlife was supposed to hit theaters next month, but Sony was forced to delay the film almost a year due to COVID-19. Fans were understandably upset, but the extended wait is allowing director Jason Reitman to not only fine-tune the movie, but also think about the future of the franchise.
While on a Zoom call with the original Ghostbusters cast, Reitman revealed that he’s already developing another sequel, saying:
“I can’t tell you anything, but we are working on another installment. We have a little bit more time, and look, as a director, I’ve never had this opportunity to actually take a pause and breathe and look at the movie again. [The extra time has been] extraordinarily valuable. I’ve been spending my days editing Ghostbusters, so that’s where I’ve been.”
Ghostbusters: Afterlife follows a single mom who moves her two kids to a small town to start over. But once they’re there, they discover a connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts will all return, while new cast members include Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard.
Who better to take over the franchise than Reitman though, whose father, Ivan Reitman, directed the original two films? So far, Jason has made a conscious effort to forge his own path as a director by steering clear of big studio movies. His first three efforts, Thank You for Smoking, Juno and Up in the Air were all commercial and critical successes. But unfortunately, it’s been a downward trend since then with movies like Young Adult, Labor Day, Men, Women & Children and The Front Runner all performing poorly.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is his first big project and for him to already be thinking and talking about a sequel might indicate a new direction for the still young filmmaker. A path that’s perhaps a little more commercially lucrative.