With the release date just around the corner, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is starting to pick up some real traction. Recent months have seen the launch of a brand-new trailer, while new merchandise lines are already starting to hit the shelves. We also got a look at two official new posters just a few days ago, and now, Sony Pictures has revealed two stills from the movie itself - and it's fair to say 'there's something strange' going on in both of them! The images were recently revealed by EMPIRE, whose latest Ghostbusters: Afterlife-themed issue is said to be full of content for the new movie.
The first image shows 'Muncher' - a six-limbed ghost who looks quite a bit like Slimer - hugging a fire hydrant. We already got a glimpse of this little blue spook in the very first trailer for the movie, and also in the latest one. Originally, with the first trailer concealing him quite well, fans speculated that he was Slimer, but we now know this isn't the case. In fact, Slimer is nowhere to be seen in any of the four trailers we've had so far, and hasn't even been mentioned in any other promotional material.
It looks like Muncher will be his replacement, which makes a great deal of sense based on his name alone. With that said, a number of other iconic villains will be returning to the fold, including the Terror Dogs, the StayPuft Marshmallow Man, and going by the latest trailer, the Sumerian demigod, Gozer. As for Muncher, whether he will be good or bad remains to be seen, but it will likely be the latter, as Slimer only ever teamed up with the Ghostbusters in the '80s animted series The Real Ghostbusters.
The second image shows all four new Ghostbusters - Lucky, Trevor, Podcast and Phoebe, who are played by Celeste O'Conner, Finn Wolfhard, Logan Kim and McKenna Grace. The new movie will also see the return of the original Ghostbusters, Peter Venkman, Winston Zeddemore, and Ray Stantz, played by Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd, as well as Dana Barrett and Janine Melnitz, played by Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts. Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon also join the cast, as Mr Grooberson and Callie.
The new movie will be a direct sequel to the original films, and will completely ignore the non-canonical 2016 reboot. With Egon Spengler actor Harold Ramis having sadly passed away in 2014, the film will also honor his legacy, as it will focus on his grandaughter and grandchildren, as they're forced to move to an old farmhouse Egon has left them in his will. It's here where the children discover all the old Ghostbusters equipment in the basement and in the barn, which is good timing because there's also "something strange" going on in the new neighborhood, Summerville, Oklahoma.
EMPIRE also recently interviewed director Jason Reitman, and his father, Ivan Reitman, who directed the original two movies. In the interview, Ivan Reitman talked about his son taking the reins of the franchise, saying, "I was amazed that he wanted to do it. He really had his own direction. He worked for years to establish his kind of filmmaking and his own distinctive talent, and then he wanted to jump into this, something that was so famous already." Jason Reitman said, "For me, it's this idea of making a movie for my father, that carries on a legacy that was introduced to me when I was seven years old and was a deep part of my childhood, the way it was a part of everybody's childhood."
Ghostbusters: Afterlife has suffered delays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but is finally set for release on November 19 this year, so you'll probably be running straight from the movie theater to your nearest toy store to grab all-new action figures of Muncher and the four new Ghostbusters ready for Christmas.
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