As Sony begin charging the pre-production proton packs on their sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, it has been revealed that Monster House director and Afterlife scribe Gil Kenan will step up and take the reins from Jason Reitman for the follow-up.
According to Deadline Reitman will remain onboard in a writer-producer role alongside co-scribe Kenan and Jason Blumenfeld. The story also reveals that the Ghostbusters: Afterlife ensemble that includes Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon and Ernie Hudson are on board to return for another round of bustin’.
In a statement the Poltergeist director said “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,” adding “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.”
Reitman, whose late father Ivan kickstarted the franchise with the blockbusting 1984 original said of the news, “A few years ago, my father handed me the keys to Ecto-1, and together we made Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Words will never express how grateful I am to have made a film with my father by my side. It’s now time to hand those keys to my creative partner and fellow Ghostbuster Gil Kenan, a brilliant director who will keep the Spengler spirit alive. I can only hope to provide him the same producorial care and support that my father showed me.”
Delayed multiple times because of the pandemic, Ghostbusters: Afterlife was eventually released from the Sony containment unit in November 2021 to favourable reviews and more than $200 million at the worldwide box-office. For a franchise that historically only really performs in the domestic market, and at a time when the film going public might have been reluctant to return to cinemas, this was seen as a big win, and so Sony are looking to re-open the doors to the firehouse in December 2023.
SEE ALSO: Mckenna Grace confirms Phoebe Spengler return for Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel
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