Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2: Release Date And Other Things We Know About The Sequel

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Who you gonna call?

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s right, they’re coming back – well, at least many of the characters of Ghostbusters: Afterlife are. Announced in 2022, it was confirmed that a Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel was in the works, further continuing the legacy of the comedy franchise for those who want to find ghosts and bust them. 2021 introduced a new generation to the world, and now, they look to continue it with this sequel. 

But, when is this sequel going to be coming out? And who can we expect to return? For all your quandaries about Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2 – or whatever the official title ends up being – here is what we know so far about it. 

WHAT IS THE GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE SEQUEL RELEASE DATE?

Ghostbusters Afterlife

As of August 2023, the Ghosbusters: Afterlife sequel is confirmed to release on March 29, 2024, according to Variety. It was originally set to come out in December as part of the 2023 movie release calendar, but was pushed back due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. 

I know, that feels like a long time away, but we’re already halfway through 2023 and time flies fast. I’m more concerned as to why it’s coming out near Easter, rather than Halloween, because I’d love to be busting ghosts during the same time I watch some of the best horror movies – but it’s still a new Ghostbusters movie so I’m not going to be complaining about that. 

SEVERAL STARS ARE CONFIRMED TO RETURN

Logan Kim Paul Rudd and McKenna Grace in Ghostbusters Afterlife

It was first confirmed that one of the main stars, McKenna Grace, was set to come back for the sequel in an interview with Comic Book in October 2022. Later, a Deadline article from December 2022 regarding Gil Kenan directing the feature said that Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon were also on board to return. 

For those who need a refresher from the last movie on who was in the cast, it included Grace, Coon, Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson, and several other members of the original Ghostbusters cast. 

There’s so much that these cast members have been doing the last few years, from Wolfhard in Stranger Things Season 4, to Grace appearing in The Handmaid's Tale and the popular Peacock show, A Friend of the Family,  and Coon being a part of the cast of The Gilded Age.

KUMAIL NANJIANI, PATTON OSWALT AND MORE HAVE JOINED THE SEQUEL

Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo in Eternals

Besides former cast members coming back for the sequel, Deadline reported in March 2023 that several stars had joined the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel. These include Kumail Nanjiani (Welcome to Chippendales), Patton Oswalt (The Goldbergs), James Acaster (Cinderella), and Emily Alyn Lind (Revenge).  

Who they will be playing is currently unknown, but any kind of addition to the cast is always a welcome announcement. 

WILL ANY ORIGINAL GHOSTBUSTERS APPEAR?

Ernie Hudson sits at his desk while telling a story in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

The cast for the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel has been a little fuzzy in terms of original Ghostbusters coming back. However, Ernie Hudson teased that he was with Bill Murray, Dan Akryod, and Annie Potts on the set of the sequel, in an interview that he did with The Film Collective on YouTube in April 2023. 

Hudson talked a lot about the potential story for his character, Winston, in the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel, and also hinted at filming scenes with his former co-stars, saying that it “feels like family:"

" It’s great to be back with Danny and Bill and Annie Potts and the new cast. It’s been forty years, it just feels like family. "

Again, this isn’t direct confirmation from the studio, but it is a good thing to keep in mind, because I’m pretty sure all of us would love nothing more than to see these OG Ghostbusters come back together again. Winston has been a character that has grown immensely over the time of the franchise, and I would love to see him and the original Ghostbusters take on more intense ghosts. 

THE SEQUEL WILL TAKE PLACE IN NYC

The firehouse in Ghostbusters.

As reported by Deadline in June 2022, the plan for the sequel is to head back to the city that never sleeps. It’s been some time since we’ve been in New York City, and while there are plenty of movies and television shows that take place in the wonderful world of NYC, I think it’s perfect to return to where it all started – that dang firehouse. 

While plot details about the upcoming sequel are limited, both Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan confirmed during the 2022 celebration of Ghostbusters Day that the next film would be heading back to New York City and the iconic firehouse that started it all. Ghostbusters: Afterlife took place in Oklahoma, but if things go according to what's reportedly planned, we'll be back in the Big Apple for the sequel. The firehouse was featured in the first two Ghostbusters films, and even in the 2016 all-female reboot, so it would be great to see it again. 

GIL KENAN DIRECTED THE FEATURE

Celeste O'Connor McKenna Grace Logan Kim and Finn Wolfhard in Ghostbusters Afterlife

As mentioned above, Gil Kenan directed the untitled sequel. Per the site's report, Kenan co-wrote the film with former director of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Jason Reitman, but also took on directing duties as well. 

Kenan talked about how eager he was to take on this role, saying that it was an “honor” to do so: 

" 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. "

JASON REITMAN SERVED AS A WRITER AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Jason Reitman on the set of Ghostbusters: Afterlife

While Jason Reitman, the son of Ivan Reitman, who directed the original Ghostbusters movie, isn’t going to be directing this sequel, according to the Deadline article about Kenan taking over the spot Reitman instead worked as a writer and producer. 

Based on the statement included in Deadline's article, it sounds like Reitman is excited to continue working on the film, as he expressed his gratitude for having gotten to work on the first movie, but also expressed confidence in Kenan's abilities as a director: 

" 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’s a shame to see Reitman step away from directing, but I have faith that this team is still going to make a movie that is worth watching – and I’m sure it’s going to make me smile and laugh just as much as any other Ghostbusters film.

FILMING COMPLETED IN JULY 2023

Paul Rudd in Ghostbusters: Afterlife

While we will be waiting until 2024 for the release of the untitled Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel, we can at least take solace in knowing that filming ended for the movie in July 2023. 

It began in March 2023, when the official Ghostbusters X page (formerly Twitter) posted about the start of filming on March 20th. Later, in an interview with ScreenRant, Ernie Hudson confirmed that the movie had wrapped as of July, and said that it was completed amongst the writer’s strike:

" Yeah, we finished, the movie is done, it's wrapped. Obviously, they're editing and doing whatever else….the filming is done, which was a little bit difficult with the writers strike and everything going on. "

Now all we need to do is wait for it to release as part of the 2024 movie schedule. 

Just reading about all of this has me so excited for the movie. While we’re going to need to wait to hear more about it, I have a feeling that this film is going to be even better than the first – and just as heartfelt and funny as you can imagine. Here’s to the next one. Now all I need is to find my Ghostbusters jumpsuit.