Movies

Ghostbusters: Afterlife First Look Trailer

December 10, 2019

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Ghostbusters fans finally got a first look at the new 2020 movie in the first proper trailer for the film, which we now know is called 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife'.

The movie serves as a sequel to the original 'Ghostbusters' and 'Ghostbusters II', effectively writing off 2016's 'Answer The Call'.

This time around it is directed by Jason Reitman, son of Ivan Reitman, who directed the original two films. In fact Jason even appeared in 'Ghostbusters II' as the bratty kid near the start of the movie. He tells Ray that, according to his dad, the Ghostbusters are "full of crap".

The trailer reveals Carrie Coon as Callie, as the mother of two children Trevor and Phoebe, played by 'Stranger Things' star Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace - the grandchildren of one of the original Ghostbusters Although it's not yet been confirmed, the collection of spores, moulds and fungus in the trailer would suggest she's related to Egon - plus she has quite the family resemblance.

The kids learn of their family's ghost busting past on an old farm in Summerville, Oklahoma. Reitman told Vanity Fair, "Trevor and Phoebe are about to find out who their grandfather was and whether they're ready to pick up the proton pack themselves."

Paul Rudd revealed his involvement in the project in a viral video earlier this year. The US comedian and actor announced the news in a selfie-style video shot outside the iconic New York fire station which was used as the exterior of the gang's headquarters in the original 80s supernatural comedy movies.

In the video, which went viral within minutes of it being posted, Paul said, "I can't wait to join the cast this fall for Ghostbusters. In fact, I'm sliming myself right now." Although at the time, the extent of Paul's involvement was unknown.

The trailer reveals that Paul will be playing the role of a local school teacher in the forthcoming movie.

The secretive movie has been being produced under the codename "Rust City". Even one of the movie's stars, Finn, said he didn't know at the time that he was auditioning for a new Ghostbusters film as the audition calls were purposefully vague.

Finn also admitted he was a little surprised to get picked for the movie after his character in the Netflix supernatural series, Mike Wheeler, dressed as one of the Ghostbusters. Finn thought this homage to the 80s classic might have inadvertently taken him out of the running because he had already done it in 'Stranger Things'.

The latest instalment in the paranormal franchise was officially announced by Sony back in January after they named Reitman as the director. This was followed by a surprise teaser trailer featuring music from the iconic Elmer Bernstein soundtrack to the 1984 movie. The clip also features the proton pack sound effects from the original films and shows the severely weathered ECTO-1 in storage, as well as what looks like ectoplasm covering a fence.

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Before the release of the latest full trailer, Vanity Fair teased their Twitter followers with an exclusive first look at the movie in a series of photos. Reitman also told the publication that the movie's official title is 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife'.

Calling all #Ghostbusters fans: Your first look at Finn Wolfhard, Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace (and more) in @Ghostbusters: Afterlife is here: https://t.co/seTfBPHEWo pic.twitter.com/81XmW6aHr2
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) December 6, 2019

So, what can we expect from the movie? Well, as the 2016 all-female re-boot flopped, we think that Sony's decision to bring us this movie now is probably fuelled by people's love of retro, nostalgia, and especially the 80s at the moment.

And who's done that well recently? 'Stranger Things' and the new Stephen King's 'It' movies. So, as Finn appears in both, we think this movie is going to be very much about rediscovering the magic of Ghostbusters through the eyes of a child in that familiar 'Goonies'/'Stand By Me' that both 'Stranger Things' and 'It' adopted.

We think the aim will be to take us back to re-live our childhood, rather than re-writing it. But, of course this is just speculation, here's what we know about the 2020 movie so far...