Ghostbusters Reborn: Sony Greenlights Sequel to 1980s Films

The saga of the original Ghostbusters will continue in a new film. EW was first to report that Jason Reitman (Juno, Tully), son of Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman was working on the project in secret, penning the screenplay for the new film alongside Gil Kenan (Poltergeist, Monster House). Reitman will direct (his dad will produce) and Sony Pictures already dated the film for a summer 2020 release. The next Ghostbusters will be set in the same universe as the 1984 film and its 1989 sequel.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsrU5tpH_jU/

“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,” Reitman tells EW. “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.”

A teaser for Reitman’s film has already been released.

https://www.facebook.com/Ghostbusters/videos/366139990617399/

Maybe the opening shot of that new Walmart commercial was a sign?

Nostaliga is hot, and this is not the first time recently that Sony tapped the archives. The rebooted Jumanji became a franchise on its own, and new installments of Men in Black and Charlie’s Angels are on the way.

Top Photo: Columbia Pictures/Sony

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.