OG Ghostbusters Could Be Killed off in 'Afterlife' Sequel, Leaving Fans Outraged

Earlier this year, Ghostbusters legend Ernie Hudson revealed that he wasn’t sure whether he’d be appearing in the upcoming sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021). This news was followed by quite a bit of back and forth, with Hudson eventually admitting that he wasn’t necessarily happy with what was offered.

Now, we know that he’s definitely on board and joined by his fellow OG Ghostbusters actors Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Annie Potts. The four will be reprising their roles as Winston Zeddemore, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, and Janine Melnitz, all of whom returned for cameos in the 2021 film.

Related: ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2’ Reveals First Teaser and Brand-New Logo

What’s bizarre about how the sequel appears to be handling Hudson is that his character, Winston, now a wealthy businessman, shows up in Afterlife‘s post-credits scene, in which he re-starts the Ghostbusters franchise from the original Firehouse in New York. Even the video game Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed (2022) picks up this thread, putting Winston in charge of a new team of Ghostbusters.

In short, Afterlife‘s ending primes Winston to take things forward for a new generation of Ghostbusters, whom Dan Aykroyd has already confirmed will be Afterlife‘s teenage ensemble — McKenna Grace (Phoebe), Finn Wolfhard (Trevor), Logan Kim (Podcast), and Celeste O’Connor (Lucky). We also know that the film won’t be set in Oklahoma like the 2021 installment and will instead bring the franchise back home to the Big Apple.

Related: Upcoming ‘Ghostbusters’ Movie Gets its First Official Trailer

Surely, this must mean that Winston has a significant role in the film. Well, whether he does or not remains to be seen, but Hudson, who has so far appeared in all four Ghostbusters films (including the 2016 reboot) and two of the video games, doesn’t sound too thrilled about the direction the filmmakers are taking with the original characters, including Winston, saying that it’s “not necessarily the direction” he would go in.

In an interview with Screen Rant while promoting his new film Prisoner’s Daughter (2023), the 77-year-old actor, who has talked about his troubles with the Ghostbusters franchise many times over the years (more recently on The Howard Stern Show), having been mistreated by the studio by being side-lined in the first two films, hinted at how Winston and the other returning original characters fit into the sequel:

“Winston, I think his place, what this last movie Afterlife did, was it gave him a place to be a purpose. You know, ‘Why is he here?’ Well, he’s the guy who has the money to keep this thing going. So that was good, it wasn’t so much more, because we do have these new characters, we’re introducing new stories, but he has a place and purpose for being there. I think in earlier movies, you establish the friendship between the three guys, they’ve already established a business, so how much do we — and I don’t totally understand all that, but Winston definitely has a place. Now, how much of a place and all of that, that gets decided on by other people. [Chuckles] Also, as we introduce new stories, and new characters, that’s what moves the whole thing forward, but we’re still a part of it, so it was great to see Bill Murray, and Danny Aykroyd, Annie Potts, it’s great to see them there, and really just enjoying it and enthusiastic about being there. It’s different, it’s not necessarily the direction I would go in, but I just love being part of it, and I think the fans will like this new direction, but we’ll see.”

Related: Brand-New ‘Ghostbusters’ Movie Is Now Available to Watch!

Exactly what that direction is remains to be seen, but whatever it is, it relates to the original four characters. While the words “I think the fans will like this new direction” offer some comfort, the filmmakers haven’t painted the upcoming Afterlife sequel in the best light regarding the franchise’s legacy actors. Not only was Hudson’s worth seemingly overlooked before when the cameras started rolling back in March, legacy Ghostbusters actress Sigourney Weaver, who plays Dana Barrett, has been cast aside, having recently confirmed that she wasn’t even asked to return.

While it might seem like a stretch to suggest that one or more of the original Ghostbusters actors could be killed off in the new film, Bill Murray is well known for having joked about this over the years, saying that he’d only ever agree to do a third film if he’s killed off. In the reboot Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016), his character, paranormal debunker Martin Heiss, is indeed killed off.

Related: Divisive ‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot Continues With “Answer the Second Call”

Should any of the original characters be killed off in the new film, which would most likely be as a means to pave the way for the new generation of Ghostbusters, then fans would undoubtedly be outraged. It might not seem like something the Ghostbusters franchise would do, but let’s not forget how underused these characters are in the 2021 film.

As such, the new film could do a “Force Awakens” or a “Last Jedi“…

Are you worried about the original characters in the Afterlife sequel? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!