'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' Trailer: Cast, Plot and Everything to Know So Far About 2020 Reboot

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The Ghostbuster's franchise will expand in the upcoming year.

The first trailer for the newest film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, released on Monday, with an expected premiere date in summer 2020.

Starring Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard and McKenna Grace, the nearly 2-minute-and-30-second trailer teased plenty of chilling moments for a single mother and her two children after they move into a creepy old farmhouse left to them by their late grandfather. As they settle into their new town and home, they begin to uncover a family history connected to the original Ghostbuster's crew—although it is unclear which of the original parapsychology professors the family is related to.

Everything to Know About 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' So Far
The first look at "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" released on December 9, 2019. The reboot, based on the 1984 original, is expected to arrive to theaters in the summer of 2020. Courtesy of Columbia Pictures/Sony

Paul Rudd stars in the film as a school teacher who reveals the ghostly legacy of the town and other haunted areas of the U.S. "There hasn't been a ghost sighting in 30 years," he said in the trailer. "New York in the 80s was like the walking dead. You're dad never mentioned this to you?"

The trailer is steeped in nostalgia from the first two Ghostbusters films, which debuted in the 1980s starring Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Ernie Hudson and the late Harold Ramis as the original ghost hunters. Throughout the clip, the kids discover notable artifacts directly linked to the original Ghostbusters, including ghost traps and guns left behind by their grandpa along with the men's' famous jumpsuits and the beloved Ectomobile—the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Futura Duplex limo-car the original Ghostbusters crew drove during their missions.

Afterlife was co-written and directed by Jason Reitman, the son of the original film's director, Ivan Reitman. Aykroyd, who played Dr. Raymon Stantz in the first two Ghostbusters films, served as an executive producer. He is also slated to make an appearance in the new installment along with Murray, who originally starred as Dr. Peter Venkman, and Hudson, who played Winston Zeddmore.

The new movie marks the fourth of the Ghostbuster's franchise, although it is directly based only on the first two films. A separate Ghostbusters reboot, helmed by a troupe of women paranormal researchers, released in 2016 starred Melissa McCarthy, Kristin Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.

The internet was full of excitement for Afterlife shortly after the trailer arrived on Monday. Twitter was flooded with comments surrounding the new movie and it's creepy Stranger Things-esque vibe while diehard Ghostbusters fans were particularly pleased by all the original film footage included in the trailer.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is slated for a July 10, 2020, release.

See a few reactions to the trailer below.

If you didn't get chills at the old school news footage of the original Ghostbusters you may be a ghost yourself because this was soooooo awesome. pic.twitter.com/WcG2X3CBwh

— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) December 9, 2019

The reason #Ghostbusters2020 looks better than Ghostbusters 2016 isn't about politics or gender. It's about the fact that the new film seems like a love-letter made by a group of fans, and the 2016 film felt like something they made because they all had a free summer.

— Quinton Reviews ? (@Q_Review) December 9, 2019

Also props to Jason Reitman & Gil Kenan for making a female character the lead of the next generation of Ghostbusters (Mckenna Grace). I know many people were worried that this movie was going to be specifically for everyone who hated GB '16, but that's clearly not the case. pic.twitter.com/lBUXNGgjhP

— John Squires (@FreddyInSpace) December 9, 2019

The #Ghostbusters Afterlife trailer was everything I didn't know I wanted. Sets the tone immediately.

— Jack Pattillo (@jack_p) December 9, 2019

All I needed to see was Paul Rudd. #Ghostbusters looks incredible. What's funny is people saying this looks like Stranger Things but Stranger Things was a homage to Ghostbusters & the 80s so it's just a full circle.

I'm definitely going to see this one in theaters. https://t.co/Oc7NlK3Gk9

— eU Bear (@BearUNLV) December 9, 2019

About the writer

Michigan native, Janice Williams is a graduate of Oakland University where she studied journalism and communication. Upon relocating to New York City, she held internships at celebrity news-focused publications including Hollywood Life and Us Weekly. She formerly worked at website Fashion & Style as a reality TV reporter before joining the news desk at International Business Times. Now she covers culture and entertainment for Newsweek. When she's not galavanting around New York's restaurant and wine scene, she's likely catching shows of up-and-coming musicians with friends.


Michigan native, Janice Williams is a graduate of Oakland University where she studied journalism and communication. Upon relocating to New ... Read more