Ghostbusters: Afterlife

About

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is an upcoming sequel to the 1989 film Ghostbusters II. Unlike the 2016 reboot, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, the film is a direct sequel to the original series of films.

History

On January 15th, 2019, Entertainment Weekly^[1] reported that Jason Reitman, son of Ghostbusters-director Ivan Reitman, would be directing a direct-sequel to 1988's Ghostbusters II. He told the publication, "I’ve always thought of myself as the first Ghostbusters fan, when I was a 6-year-old visiting the set. I wanted to make a movie for all the other fans. This is the next chapter in the original franchise. It is not a reboot. What happened in the ‘80s happened in the ‘80s, and this is set in the present day."

That day, he tweeted,^[2] "Finally got the keys to the car. #GB20." The tweet received more than 2,700 retweets and 17,000 likes in two days (shown below, left).

The following day, Reitman tweeted^[3] a video teaser featuring the car from the film, the Ecto-1. He captioned the tweet, "Everybody can relax, I found the car. #GB20." Within 24 hours, the tweet received 5,600 retweets and 17,000 likes (shown below).

Reception

Announcement Reaction

The reaction to the teaser was mixed. Some fans expressed excitement for the new film. Others expressed disappointment that the film would be set in a different universe from the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot. Twitter user @cevangelista413 tweeted,^[4] "As good a time as any to admit I really liked the GHOSTBUSTERS reboot, and am sad we’ll never get a sequel." The tweet received more than 725 retweets and 4,300 likes in two days (shown below, center). Some made jokes that satirized the backlash towards the all-female Ghostbusters reboot. Twitter user @AdriOfTheDead tweeted,^[5] "wow I can’t believe they’re rebooting the ghostbusters movie with an all-male cast, what kind of pandering shit is this." The tweet received more than 130 retweets and 610 likes in 24 hours (shown below, right). However, these tweets were made prior to casting announcements.

"Back to the Fans"

On February 18th, 2019, Reitman appeared on the podcast "Bill Burr Monday Morning Podcast." During the interview, while talking about the Ghostbusters film, Reitman said, "This is going to be a love letter to Ghostbusters, I love this franchise. I grew up watching it. I consider myself the first Ghostbusters fan. I was like seven years old when that movie came out and I love it. I want to make a movie for my fellow Ghostbusters fans."

Several days later, on February 20th, the website The Playlist tweeted^[5] an article^[6] reporting on that portion of the interview (shown below, left). The post received more than 540 retweets and 2,700 likes in 24 hours.

Many online reacted negatively to the comments. New York Times television critic James Poniewozik tweeted, "1) This is gross 2) I will never understand why--besides the culture-war angle--anyone was so invested in the sanctity of the original. It was freaking *Ghostbusters,* not the Sistine Chapel ceiling! It was… fine! The remake was… fine! 3) This is gross." The tweet received more than 590 retweets and 4,000 likes in 24 hours (shown below, center).

Writer Soraya Chemaly tweeted,^[7] "This quote really makes it sound like the 'real' fans are the sexist, racist assholes that attacked Leslie Jones and made the entire launch of the last Ghostbusters a nightmare for the women involved and for fans who looked forward to their work." Within 24 hours, the tweet received more than 1,500 retweets and 6,000 likes in 24 hours (shown below, right).

That day, Jason Reitman responded to the backlash against his comments, expressing his admiration for the 2016 Ghostbusters. He tweeted,^[8] "Wo, that came out wrong! I have nothing but admiration for Paul and Leslie and Kate and Melissa and Kristen and the bravery with which they made Ghostbusters 2016. They expanded the universe and made an amazing movie!" The post received more than 400 retweets and 2,400 likes in 24 hours (shown below, left).

Ghostbuster (2016) director Paul Feig defended Reitman. He wrote,^[9] "Jason was a supporter of mine at a time when I couldn’t get movies made. He has always been a true gentleman to me and a supporter of Ghostbusters: Answer the Call. I can’t wait to see his take on the Ghostbusters universe. Big love and respect to you, Jason. Your fan, Paul." Within 24 hours, the tweet received more than 220 retweets and 1,200 likes (shown below, right).

Search Interest

External References