The kids aren’t all right because they released something vile from this old well…

The most exciting trailer this year comes from a film Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray have been interviewed about since Ghostbusters II.  Taking a cue from Halloween, Predator, and Terminator, the franchise did some skipping of reboots and made Ghostbusters: Afterlife a direct sequel to Ghostbusters II.  The lead role is for Mckenna Grace, who has appeared in lots of genre films and shows (Ready Player One, Independence Day: Resurgence, Captain Marvel, and horror franchises: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Annabelle, Amityville, and Hill House).  In a nice nod to the late, great comedy writer and Ghostbusters co-star and writer Harold Ramis, Grace and Stranger Things co-star Finn Wolfhard (who wore his own Ghostbusters suit in his series) will play the grandkids of Ramis’s Dr. Egon Spengler.  Shifting to a prairie setting from the city, the tone feels more like the creepy and cool Stranger Things.  Annie Potts’s return is refreshing in this trailer, along with (at least) the voice of Dan Aykroyd.

Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) plays the grade school teacher, and the kids’ mom is played by Carrie Coon, who played the creepy antagonist in the second season of Sinner as well as in Thanos’ army in Avengers: Infinity War.  Plus Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, Gozer-everyone but Rick Moranis–have been confirmed for at least a cameo.  And there’s an El Camino and the return of the Ecto-1 with some extra features, and no doubt some animated series tie-ins and Easter eggs.  What more could you want?

Check out the new trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife:

It has the potential to be the biggest hit of the year, which is difficult to engage in the closed-down era of 2020-2021.

The long-awaited continuation of the original 1980s blockbuster films, Ghostbusters: Afterlife–after its first delays in 2020, and delayed again to July 10–now is slated to open for Thanksgiving 2021.

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg