In a new exclusive video presented by Collider, Ghostbusters: Afterlife's new generation of supernatural investigators invade New York City, the setting of the original Ghostbusters. In celebration of Ghostbusters Day, director and co-writer Jason Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan took stars Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Logan Kim, and Celeste O'Connor to visit some of the most classic locations of the franchise, where they got to explore the history of the first Ghostbusters movie.
The first stop on the Ghostbusters tour of NYC was to the New York Public Library, where Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), and Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) met with their first apparition, the Librarian. Due to this fateful encounter, the trio decided to start the Ghostbusters unity, now a family business after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Next, the special tour goes through the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, where Peter tried to charm Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver). Then, the group moves to Central Park, where a possessed Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) jumped over the stone bridge. Finally, the group reaches Dana’s apartment, where the multidimensional being Gozer was summoned at the end of the first Ghostbusters movie. They even make time in the trip to visit the church that got destroyed when Gozer released the giant, and incredibly iconic, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
Of course, no Ghostbusters tour of NYC would be complete without stopping by the Firehouse, Hook & Ladder company, the decaying building that the Ghostbusters team refurbished and transformed into their base of operations. The place became the iconic home of the Ghostbusters throughout the entire franchise, and it was there that the fourth supernatural hunter, Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), joined the original team.
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Taking the new generation of Ghostbusters to visit the classic locations of the original movie is more than appropriate when we think about how Afterlife introduced a group of young heroes that were learning about the history of the original team. The revival movie is deeply connected with the first film's legacy, so much that Afterlife features many returning faces, such as Murray, Aykroyd, Hudson, Weaver, and Annie Potts. The film also honored the late Harold Ramis’ Egon Spengler, the only member of the original Ghostbusters team who couldn't be part of the revival.
Afterlife also represented the passing of the torch behind cameras. That’s because Jason Reitman, the son of Ivan Reitman, who helmed the two original films, came back as a producer for Ghostbusters Afterlife. Sadly, Ivan Reitman passed away earlier this year, making this Ghostbusters Day celebration even more bittersweet, as we look forward to the future without forgetting that we wouldn’t be here without those who came before us.
While Ghostbusters: Afterlife's $176 million box office might seem modest, the revival launched when movie theaters were still feeling the worst effects of the pandemic. So, Sony rightfully weighted in the delicate context and decided that the revival was a commercial success. It’s no wonder that Sony already confirmed a new animated Ghostbusters series is being developed with Netflix, while the film franchise will receive some kind of sequel in the near future. So, it looks like the Ghostbusters will keep fighting supernatural creatures for a long time.
Check out the new video below: