Production on the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel is almost under way in the United Kingdom, with the franchise opting for London instead of the Big Apple for reasons unknown (although it has been confirmed that the film will also shoot in New York City). And now, the film has teased a very cryptic image. Yes - there's something strange in London!
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From director Gil Kenan and co-writer Jason Reitman (who directed 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife), the fourth film in the main series of Ghostbusters films (or fifth if you include the non-canonical reboot Ghostbusters: Answer the Call), and will pick up where the 2021 sequel left off, and "continuing with the Spengler family story" established in that film.
Naturally, plot details are being kept under wraps, but we do also know that the entire Afterlife ensemble is back - Carrie Coon, Logan Kim, McKenna Grace, Celeste O'Connor, Finn Wolfhard, and Paul Rudd will be reprising their roles as Callie Spengler, Podcast, Phoebe Spengler, Lucky, Trevor Spengler, and Gary Grooberson, respectively.
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It is yet to be confirmed whether or not the original Ghostbusters will also be returning following their brief cameos at the end of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but there has been plenty of back and forth on Ernie Hudson reprising his role as Winston Zeddemore. No other cast members have been confirmed, but it's likely we'll be learning a lot more in the coming weeks as shooting unfolds.
Now, creature creator and special makeup effects designer Arjen Tuiten has been confirmed to be back on board for the upcoming Ghostbusters sequel, who recently shared an Instagram story that shows a mysterious shipping crate with the Ghostbusters logo on it next to the UK's Union Jack flag. So, needless to say, London definitely isn't doubling as any US location.
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It's also reasonable to assume that something is on its way to a museum in the UK city, which would also explain why Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan recently took to Instagram themselves to share a picture of them in what looks like a London-based Ghostbusters firehouse. Between this and the crate, it's possible the film is going to lean heavily into the long-running IDW comics.
In those comics, there's a storyline titled "Ghostbusters: International", which, as you've probably already guessed from the title, sees Ghostbusters setting up shop all around the world, including London. If the new sequel is indeed taking a page out of these comics, then there's probably no way to do some serious world-building within this franchise, something Afterlife was lacking.
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The upcoming Ghostbusters sequel follows Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II (1989), Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016) and Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
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As per the Ghostbusters/Sony Pictures website, here's the synopsis for Ghostbusters: Afterlife:
From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman, comes the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. The film is written by Jason Reitman & Gil Kenan.
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Ghostbusters: Afterlife stars McKenna Grace (Phoebe), Logan Kim (Podcast), Celeste O'Connor (Lucky), Finn Wolfhard (Trevor), Carrie Coon (Callie), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz), Sigourney Weaver (Dana Barrett), Paul Rudd (Gary Grooberson), Olivia Wilde (Gozer the Gozerian), JK Simmons (Ivo Shandor), Bill Murray (Dr. Peter Venkman), Dan Aykroyd (Dr. Ray Stantz), and Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore).
Ghostbusters 4 will be released on December 20, 2023.
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