Afterlife’ Sequel Gets New Director

The Ghostbusters franchise has had quite an afterlife.

Following a successful revival last year, the big-screen Ghostbusters series will continue with another movie. The latest film will be a sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and will continue the story and its post-credits scene, where Ernie Hudson’s Winston Zeddemore used his fortune (apparently he became a billionaire sometime after the events of Ghostbusters II) to reopen the old Ghostbusters firehouse in New York — which, unbeknownst to him, still has ghosts stuck in the trap in the basement.

Afterlife was directed by Jason Reitman, and written by written by Reitman and Gil Kenan. Now Deadline reports that this next Ghostbusters sequel — which is the fourth in the original continuity and the fifth film overall when you include the 2015 reboot by Paul Feig featuring Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig — will be directed by Kenan.

Here was Kenan’s statement on the news:

It’s an absolute honor to pick up the proton pack and step behind the camera for the next chapter of the Spengler family saga. I just wish I could go back to 1984 and tell the kid in the sixth row of the Mann Valley West that one day he was going to get to direct a Ghostbusters film.

In addition to writing Afterlife, Kenan directed the excellent animated movie Monster House, as well as City of Ember and the remake of Poltergeist. (Apparently the guy likes ’80s movies.)

Jason Reitman will remain involved as writer and producer. (Original Ghostbusters director and Afterlife producer Ivan Reitman passed away earlier this year.) The new film is expected to feature the the same cast as the last, including PauL Rudd and Carrie Coon.

The Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel is scheduled for release in December of next year.

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