After the third film in the Ghostbusters saga hit theaters in 2016, many fans thought that would be the nail in the coffin of the franchise. Lo and behold, Jason Reitman is bringing Ghostbusters: Afterlife to the big screen this summer, and the first trailer for the film dropped on today. Not only does Reitman bring the franchise back to its roots, but there are plenty of Easter eggs and great throwbacks in the trailer.
The new film will take place years after the events of Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II while ignoring the reboot with an all-female team. The official Twitter account of the Ghostbusters revealed the trailer for Afterlife — and it mixes some amazing old with the new.
It is known that many members of the original cast are returning for the new movie, but you don’t see any of them in the trailer. Nonetheless, Ghostbusters: Afterlife brings forth a lot of old-school feelings that will have big-time fans thrilled with what is to come.
One of the first things to look out for is the old ghost trap that is found in the farmhouse left to Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), his sister and his mom by his grandfather. It is taken to a teacher named Mr. Grooberson ( Paul Rudd ) who is taken in by it because he knows exactly what it is from the ’80s.
Everything happens for a reason. Watch the new trailer for #Ghostbusters : Afterlife, in theaters next summer. pic.twitter.com/b0eHUOq4lf
— Ghostbusters (@Ghostbusters) December 9, 2019
A moment later in the trailer, Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) is seen walking to an old shed on the property, and she is holding a PKE Meter in her hand. She slides down a firepole into a room as a voiceover says, “My grandfather died. My mom says we’re just here to pick through the rubble of his life.”
During those words, there are shots of specimens in containers, a proton pack and some old jumpsuits with the name of “Spengler” clearly evident on one. It is now obvious that these kids are the grandchildren of Egon Spengler who was played perfectly by the late Harold Ramis.
After that, another voiceover comes — this one is from Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) delivering his famous “Call it fate” line. From there, we get a quick shot of a Terror Dog’s foot clamping down onto the hood of a car.
Keep watching and you’ll see that Ecto-1 still has some juice in her, delivering the sound of her engine revving up and the incredible siren. As the kids zoom through the city using the gunner seat of Ecto-1, they are indeed chasing a ghost.
Slimer, perhaps?
There is much more hiding in Ghostbusters: Afterlife , but the studio isn’t going to give it all away before it hits theaters. Judging by the trailer, though, they are going to stay true to the original story of the team and modernize things in a respectful way of combining new and old.
Oh, and in case you missed it? Go to the 0:45 mark of the trailer and look for the symmetrical book stacking.