Sony Confirms That a Fifth ‘Ghostbusters’ Movie Is In the Works

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Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz (L), Bill Murray as Peter Venkman (M), and Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore (R) saving the day in 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife'

Credit: Sony Pictures

It looks like there’s going to be something strange in the neighborhood all over again, as Sony Pictures announced at yesterday’s CinemaCon that a fifth Ghostbusters movie is in the works! This will come as huge news to Ghostbusters fans, who had to wait some 30 years for a sequel to the original Ghostbusters (1984) and its direct sequel Ghostbusters II (1989).

Nothing is known about this project as yet, but we can only assume that it will be a follow up to Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021). As such, while it will indeed be the fifth movie in the Ghostbusters franchise, it will be the fourth in the main series of films, as Paul Feig’s reboot Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016) exists in a totally separate continuity to all the other movies.

Louis Tully Ghostbusters
Credit: Sony Pictures

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It’s also unknown who will be starring in the new Ghostbusters sequel, as nothing has been confirmed other than the fact that the movie is in the early stages of development. Although it’s entirely possible that Ghostbuster characters old and new will have to answer the call. And who knows — maybe we’ll finally get to see Rick Moranis reprise his role as Louis Tully!

In Jason Reitman’s sequel, we meet the grandchildren of Egon Spengler (played by Harold Ramis in the original two movies, who sadly passed away in 2014). Phoebe (McKenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) move to Summerville, Oklahoma with their mother Callie (Carrie Coon), into an old farmhouse left behind by the recently deceased and estranged Egon.

Phoebe Ghostbusters Afterlife
Credit: Sony Pictures

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When they learn that all the Ghostbusters equipment has been left behind, and that there are dark supernatural forces at work in their new town, Phoebe and Trevor team up with local kids Podcast (Logan Kim) and Lucky (Celeste O’Conner), and summer school science teacher Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), to save the day and prevent an apocalypse.

In the end, original Ghostbusters Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), and Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) show up to help the kids defeat Gozer (Olivia Wilde) and the Terror Dogs. A post-credits scene reveals that Winston intends to re-establish the Ghostbusters in New York City, while a red light on the Ecto-Containment Unit flashes.

Ghostbusters Afterlife
Credit: Sony Pictures

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Recently, a trailer was released for upcoming video game Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed (2021), which will serve a sequel of sorts to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, picking up from that post-credits scene and also featuring the voices and likenesses of Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd. So it’s possible that the new Ghostbusters movie will take a similar path, or maybe a new one altogether.

Either way, both Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson have previously talked about the possibility a future Ghostbusters movie, each of them expressing an interest in returning as their respective characters. In an interview with USA Today last December, following the release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Aykroyd said the following about possible future sequels:

“I’d like to die. I think Bill and I should be killed in the next one. Or, maybe we wait. Why not use the living Ghostbusters – Ernie, Billy and myself – for four, five, and six? Go until we’re gone. Then there will be time for the tributes. Death is going to take us soon enough.”

Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed
Credit: IllFonic via YouTube

Related: Could an Open-World ‘Ghostbusters’ Game Be on the Horizon?!

But whether or not Bill Murray would return as Peter Venkman remains to be seen. Unlike Aykroyd and Hudson, Murray doesn’t appear to be associated with Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed. Recently, the actor was also accused of “inappropriate behavior” on the set of the film Becoming Mortal (2023), which resulted in production being halted.

With all that said, as well as having a cameo in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Murray also appeared in the reboot. That film, however, which stars Melissa McCarthy (Abby Yates) and Kristen Wiig (Erin Gilbert), is not connected to the main three movies (although there is an epic crossover between both universes in IDW Publishing’s long-running “Ghostbusters” comic book series).

Bill Murray Ghostbusters
Credit: Sony Pictures

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We also don’t know whether or not director Jason Reitman will be returning to helm the upcoming Ghostbusters movie. While he did an incredible job on Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which acts as a love letter to both the late Harold Ramis and his time on the set of the original two films as a child, his father, Ivan Reitman, who directed those films, recently passed away.

Ivan Reitman served as producer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which continued the theme of the Ghostbusters movies being family projects. But we’d be surprised if Sony Pictures hasn’t already been in talks with Jason Reitman about the next movie — despite plenty of criticism about the level of fan service in the 2021 sequel, it still caught over $204 million worldwide in its stream.

Ghostbusters Afterlife
Credit: Sony Pictures

Related: ‘Ghostbusters 2’ Is a Better Sequel Than ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ — Here’s Why!

Here’s to hoping we get some news on the upcoming Ghostbusters movie on “Ghostbusters Day”, which takes place on June 8, the anniversary of the release of the original film in 1984.

Are you excited about the new Ghostbusters movie? What do you think it will be about? And who do you think will return? Let us know in the comments below!

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