A highlight of last year was the hotly anticipated Ghostbusters: Afterlife, directed by Jason Reitman, son of original Ghostbusters auteur Ivan Reitman. Part of that anticipation was attributed to its delayed release due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Afterlife did well for the franchise, being warmly received by critics and audiences more than the 2016 remake. This rejuvenation was validated by its nearly $200 million box-office haul. Now there is new anticipation: the sequel.
During last April’s CinemaCon, Sony announced that Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2 has officially been greenlit. Director Jason Reitman has signed on to return, but where will he take the story next? For the moment, that remains to be seen. Thankfully, the latest film was full of new characters, a new setting, and most importantly, a renewed interest in busting ghosts. With these ingredients, there is lots of ground to potentially explore for the upcoming sequel.
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Ghostbusters: Afterlife effectively acted as a pilot program, a testbed to see if the legacy of zapping poltergeists could translate to a new generation. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak. The character of Phoebe (McKenna Grace), a descendent of Egon Spengler, effectively picked up the proton pack where her predecessors had left off. Not only did Egon pass on his brains, but he passed on his curiosity to his granddaughter.
While drawn as emotionally guarded, Phoebe showed that her love of exploring, science, and connection was matched evenly with Egon. Her social clumsiness balances her sharp intellect. It is given that there will be some time to pass before the sequel releases. So, when Phoebe returns, she’ll most likely have come into her own as a confident young scientist, perfecting what her grandfather and his team of ghostbusters had started.
While Afterlife spent much of its time unraveling the mystery of Phoebe’s familial origins, the sequel can now move past this benchmark. With ostensibly a few years of hunting the paranormal under their belts, Phoebe and her brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) can assume the mantle on a structured, professional level.
Of course, there will be the obligatory partnership of other characters introduced in Afterlife, such as Podcast (Logan Kim), Lucky (Celeste O’Connor), as well as Phoebe’s mother Callie (Carrie Coon), and the affable Mr. Grooberson (Paul Rudd). It was indeed a treat (and frankly, super expected) to see the original Ghostbusters show up at the end of Afterlife. The sequel will most likely incorporate the likes of Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray (Dan Aykroyd), and Winston (Ernie Hudson) in some capacity. How little or how much is yet to be determined. But the sequel is also assuredly going to include callbacks and references. However, it is time for the new crew to make their own.
A Solid Villain
One of the criticisms of Ghostbusters: Afterlife was the recycled plot of defeating Gozer. As fun as it was seeing Paul Rudd turn into a demon dog and hearing familiar banter from Venkman during the film’s climactic battle, the sequel’s antagonist should be a new face. This may or may not happen, however. On the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Jason Reitman has already teased the eventual return of Vigo the Carpathian, who nearly defeated the heroes during the events of Ghostbusters 2. Arguably the scariest of the main original villains, Vigo returning could be a fantastic reappearance. History has looked back kindly on Ghostbusters 2 and Vigo as a villain by extension.
But having him be the big baddie once again would undermine this new path being forged by Phoebe and company. There is so much left to explore in a supernatural world. Whether a new villain is based on lore, a folk tale, or something fresh and completely original, there is much ground to cover. The two key components for making a solid ghost villain would be a fresh motivation and presenting a strong personal challenge to the new Ghostbusters. Looking back at Ghostbusters 2 (a film Jason Reitman has confirmed to be canon), Vigo possessed both of these traits. This is why it could work with him making an appearance in the sequel.
The ever-present problem with “re-quels” (reboot-sequel) is that they have to balance so much in every beat. From Star Wars to Scream, and even Ghostbusters, tempering fans’ dubious assumptions from what is expected coupled with developing and delivering a strong, compelling story that speaks to the appropriate audience can be a steep challenge. It’s a precarious path that studios will take a shot at because it’ll usually make money either way. Ghostbusters has already proven to be a lucrative franchise.
With other franchises having gone down this path with mixed results, Ghostbusters has some data to reflect on. This series has an extra helping of grace, being much a family affair between the father/son Reitman directors. Ghostbusters: Afterlife mostly worked because it relied more on its originality, fresh characters, new setting, and strong heart. Sequels already have enough of an uphill battle as it is. Reitman and crew could have something truly special on their hands as long as the next chapter of bustin’ ghosts retains these elements.
