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Credit: Sony PicturesRecently, we learned that Ghostbusters 4 (2023) will begin filming in London in March, and last week, we got word that filming is almost underway, as director Gil Kenan, co-writer and producer Jason Reitman, and cinematographer Eric Steelberg shared photos of the city via Instagram.
Sony Pictures also recently announced that the ensemble from Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) — Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), Phoebe (McKenna Grace), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), Lucky (Celeste O’Conner), Callie (Carrie Coon) — will be returning in the upcoming sequel.
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It has also been confirmed that Ernie Hudson will be reprising his role as beloved Ghostbuster Winston Zeddemore. And now, as reported by British tabloid The Sun, a source says that three more legacy characters will be returning to the fold.
Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd, who play Dana Barrett and Ghostbusters Dr. Peter Venkman, and Dr. Ray Stantz in the three previous Ghostbusters movies, are reportedly on board for Ghostbusters 4.
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Along with Hudson, the three actors appear in Ghostbusters: Afterlife in a “legacy” capacity. Weaver appears during a mid-credits scene, while Murray, Aykroyd, and Hudson show up to help Phoebe (McKenna Grace) save the day against evil god Gozer the Gozerian (Olivia Wilde).
Whether or not the four returning actors will have bigger roles this time around remains to be seen, however, Winston Zeddemore now has a more prominent role, with Afterlife‘s post-credits scene revealing that he’s about to reopen the Ghostbusters business in New York City.
Either way, Ghostbusters 4 will be the fifth outing in the franchise (on the silver screen, at least) for each of the actors, as they also appeared in Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016) as new characters.
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This casting news could suggest that the upcoming sequel will lean into the Ghostbusters Multiverse. That’s right — like many other franchises, Ghostbusters has its own Multiverse, which, so far, has only been explored in IDW Publishing’s long-running comic book series.
Though it might seem like a stretch, the fact the film is preparing to shoot in London, as well as the news that many original Ghostbusters characters are back on board, does hint towards “Ghostbusters International”, a popular storyline from those comics that sees the Ghostbusters franchise going global with which many long-standing characters are involved.
In turn, this could point towards a future film exploring more popular stories from IDW’s “Ghostbusters” comics, such as the Multiverse, which features heavily in storylines such as “Ghostbusters Crossing Over” and “Ghostbusters 101: Everyone Answers the Call”.
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As per the Ghostbusters/Sony Pictures website, here’s the synopsis for Ghostbusters: Afterlife:
From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman, comes the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. The film is written by Jason Reitman & Gil Kenan.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife stars McKenna Grace (Phoebe), Logan Kim (Podcast), Celeste O’Connor (Lucky), Finn Wolfhard (Trevor), Carrie Coon (Callie), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz), Sigourney Weaver (Dana Barrett), Paul Rudd (Gary Grooberson), Olivia Wilde (Gozer the Gozerian), JK Simmons (Ivo Shandor), Bill Murray (Dr. Peter Venkman), Dan Aykroyd (Dr. Ray Stantz), and Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore).
Ghostbusters 4 will be released on December 20, 2023.
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Are you excited to see Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd back in Ghostbusters? Let us know in the comments down below!
