Franchise star and creator Dan Aykroyd opens up about why the original Ghostbusters returned for Jason Reitman's sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The next installment in the supernatural comedy franchise will pick up 30 years after the events of the second film and center on single mother Callie and her kids Trevor and Phoebe as they are forced to move into their late grandfather, Harold Ramis' Egon Spengler's, decaying farmhouse in a small Oklahoma town. While there, they discover his past as an original Ghostbuster and must use his old equipment to save the world from a threat connected to the Manhattan Crossrip of 1984.
Aykroyd returns for Ghostbusters: Afterlife as Ray Stantz alongside fellow original Ghostbusters Bill Murray as Peter Venkman and Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore, as well as original stars Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett and Annie Potts as Ghostbusters receptionist Janine Melnitz. The cast for the new film is being led by Carrie Coon as Callie, Mckenna Grace as Phoebe, Finn Wolfhard as Trevor and Paul Rudd as local science teacher Mr. Grooberson. Following multiple pandemic-related delays, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is finally set to hit theaters on November 19.
Ahead of the film's release, Aykroyd, Murray and Hudson appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to discuss Ghostbusters: Afterlife. When asked why the original Ghostbusters decided to return for the upcoming film, Aykroyd and Murray explained that Reitman's script had a lot "heart" and praised his fresh take on the story that brought the franchise back to its roots. See what Aykroyd and Murray said below:
Dan Aykroyd: "Jason Reitman wrote a great script, so full of heart and going right back to the first two movies and its DNA and its heart and soul. We just read it and thought, 'You know, this is the right time and this is the right way to do it.'"
Bill Murray: "Jason is the son of the original director, Ivan Reitman, and Jason's made some great movies of his own and he had his own take on it. Because he grew up as a child of the Ghostbusters, sort of in a way, he had something he thought would work as a good story and we all agreed that he got it."
Throughout the development and production of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Aykroyd has been one of the most vocal supporters of the film, especially Reitman's take on the franchise, which Aykroyd created and co-wrote the original two films with Ramis. Aykroyd has especially directed his praise towards Reitman's decision to bring the films back to the original timeline and characters, a sentiment many audiences have echoed following their disappointment with Paul Feig's 2016 Ghostbusters reboot. A third Ghostbusters film has spent years getting off the ground, with Murray frequently expressing a reluctancy to return after the lackluster reception to Ghostbusters II.
Early reviews to Ghostbusters: Afterlife certainly seem to be falling in line with Aykroyd and Murray's praise of Reitman's take on the franchise. Though critics seem to be generally divided on the reliance on fan service seen in the threequel, most have generally welcomed the film as a better direction for the series thanks to its nostalgia, cast and direction. Only time will tell how audiences connect to the film when Ghostbusters: Afterlife hits theaters on November 19.
Source: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
