Anna Daniels
So far, we’ve only seen one trailer for the upcoming sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Though the trailer offered an intriguing premise that mixed the vibe of Super 8 with the paranormal activity and legacy of the original Ghostbusters, the major criticism being lobbied at the movie was that it didn’t look like it had the same comedic influence that made the original so memorable. That’s to be expected when you don’t have a cast of Saturday Night Live and Second City cast members, but don’t worry, because co-star Finn Wolfhard says the movie is “really funny” while also being “really faithful” to the series.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife picks up 35 years after the events of the original Ghostbsuters and finds what appears to be the estranged daughter (Carrie Coon) of Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis in the original movie) moving into a rundown farmhouse with her two kids, played by Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) and Mckenna Grace (Annabelle Comes Home). But the farmhouse is full of the forgotten legacy of the Ghostbusters, which is good since some kind of big supernatural threat is on the horizon for the small town of Summerville, Oklahoma.
Speaking with NME recently (via Bleeding Cool), Finn Wolfhard talked about how influential Ghostbusters was when he was growing up, despite the fact that it was released 18 years before he was even born. Wolfhard recalled:
“When I was really young, my parents were really big fans of the original Ghostbusters movies, so I grew up watching them, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis – all of those were big, big people in our house. So getting to be a part of that legacy now is very flattering.”
So what can we expect from Ghostbusters: Afterlife? Well, fans of the original franchise will be happy to hear Wolfhard say, “Older Ghostbusters fans will find it’s a really, really faithful approach to the series.”
But Sony Pictures also has to bring in the younger demographics to help pad the box office too, so Wolfhard added, “Young people, if not everyone, will find that, first and foremost, Ghostbusters is about family and the relationships that these people have made.”
Well, I’m not sure that the first two Ghostbusters movies are about family and relationships. Sure, the gang has some camaraderie between them, but it’s moreso about saving the world from ghosts while also being a bit snarky. The good news is, there will be plenty of opportunities for comedy in Ghostbusters: Afterlife too.
Wolfhard wrapped up the little details he could discuss by saying, “It’s also really funny, so I’m really excited for people to see it.”
Whether it delivers the kind of comedy that the original brought remains to be seen. But honestly, we don’t need a whole retread of the same style, tone and comedy that the first Ghostbusters movies delivered. If that’s what you want, go watch the original Ghostbusters. This movie can branch out and be something different while staying true to the spirit and characters of the original Ghostbusters, especially since nearly all of the cast from the first movie will be returning in the movie directed by Jason Reitman, son of the original film’s director Ivan Reitman.
For now, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is slated for release on July 10, 2020, but we’ll see if that release date holds after all this coronavirus chais is finished wreaking havoc on the film industry and everything else in the world.
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