A new “Ghostbusters” is headed our way — and it has nothing to do with the 2016 reboot starring Melissa McCarthy (pictured above left, with cast members Kristin Wiig and Leslie Jones).
Jason Reitman — son of 1984’s “Ghostbusters” and 1989’s “Ghostbusters II” director Ivan Reitman — will direct the picture from a script that he and Gil Kenan (“Monster House”) wrote.
While there is no word yet on whether the original cast will return for sure — Harold Ramis unfortunately passed away — all of them (including Bill Murray, above right) should be expected to do so, as this new “Ghostbusters” is described as a sequel to the original classic films, not a reboot.
“This is the next chapter in the original franchise. It is not a reboot,” Reitman announced about the project. “What happened in the ’80s happened in the ’80s, and this is set in the present day.”
The 2016 reboot directed by Paul Feig was supposed to launch a “Ghostbusters” universe — but the film became divisive and it bombed at the box office.
Feig and company have blamed misogyny multiple times for the split reactions to the movie — but any fan of the original film will say the 2016 film’s problems had nothing to do with the female leads.
The problems began in the conception. Instead of connecting the movie to the original film, the movie “remade” the story — yet the second time around was not the charm.
The special effects were also lacking and the stars consistently pushed social justice points in interviews, which turned off many fans. To make matters worse, some of the original cast members had cameos in the reboot, though none of them played their original characters.
Their appearances seemed more like obligations than anything related to fun.
The free market, however, spoke and the decision was just about unanimous: People wanted the “Ghostbusters” they knew and loved, not some “new and improved” glossy repaint job of the original property.
Reitman — who’s directed pictures like “Up in the Air” and “Thank You for Smoking” — is rumored to be casting a younger group, both men and women, to fight ghosts along with the original cast. The director’s father, Ivan Reitman, will help produce the picture.
Ivan Reitman and original star Dan Akroyd were credited as producers of the 2016 reboot.
The new chapter in the “Ghostbusters” universe is expected to hit theaters in the summer of 2020.
Check out a teaser trailer for the upcoming “Ghostbusters” movie below:
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