Jason Reitman paid loving tribute to his dad, Ivan’s legacy with Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a sequel to the original two Ghostbusters movies from the 1980s. However, for the next sequel, Jason Reitman has decided to serve as writer-producer. He has handed the directing reigns over to his colleague Gil Kenan, who co-wrote Afterlife with Reitman and served as executive producer. The duo will also co-write the sequel.
Afterlife mainly focused on the grandchildren of Egon Spengler (the late Harold Ramis) who relocate to his old farm in tiny Summerville, Oklahoma with their mother, Callie (Carrie Coon). Mckenna Grace portrayed Phoebe Spengler, with Finn Wolfhard as her older brother, Trevor. Joining them as the new Ghostbusters were Logan Kim as Podcast and Celeste O’Connor as Lucky Domingo. Paul Rudd also starred as Phoebe and Podcast’s teacher Mister Grooberson, an original Ghostbusters superfan. This core cast is expected to return for the follow-up.
Following the announcement of his taking over the franchise, Kenan stated:
“It’s an absolute honor to pick up the proton pack and step behind the camera for the next chapter of the Spengler family saga. I just wish I could go back to 1984 and tell the kid in the sixth row of the Mann Valley West that one day he was going to get to direct a Ghostbusters film.”
Reitman added:
“A few years ago, my father handed me the keys to Ecto-1, and together we made Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Words will never express how grateful I am to have made a film with my father by my side. It’s now time to hand those keys to my creative partner and fellow Ghostbuster Gil Kenan, a brilliant director who will keep the Spengler spirit alive. I can only hope to provide him the same producorial care and support that my father showed me.”
It seems that the script for the sequel is still being worked on, but rumor has it, the action will return to New York and the O.G. Ghostbusters’ fire station headquarters.
Gil Kenan co-wrote and directed last year’s animated flick A Boy Called Christmas. Among his other directing credits are 2006’s Monster House, which earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, City of Ember, and the 2016 version of Poltergeist.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife earned $44 million during its opening weekend and went on to earn over $200 million worldwide. The unnamed sequel already has a release date set for December 20, 2023. Production is set to begin in early 2023.
Are you excited about another film in this franchise?
