Ghostbusters: Afterlife ($198 Million Worldwide Box office)

Tyger wrote:Saw it today. I liked it. I’ve seen some comments about the nostalgia and I didn’t think it was as overdone as some are saying.

A new “Ghostbusters” animated series is in development at Netflix, Variety has learned exclusively. The series hails from Sony Pictures Animation, with Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan of Ghost Corps, Inc. onboard as executive producers. Reitman and Kenan recently co-wrote the live-action feature “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” with Reitman also directing.

Exact plot details on the new animated series are currently being kept under wraps. No writer is attached at the time of this publishing. Production will be handled by Netflix and Ghost Corps, Inc., which is based at Sony’s Columbia Pictures.

Should the project go to series, it would be the third animated “Ghostbusters” show in the franchise’s history. Previously, “The Real Ghostbusters” aired for 140 episodes, mostly on ABC and in syndication, from 1986-1991. It continued the adventures of the characters from the original film. It was followed by “Extreme Ghostbusters,” which aired for 40 episodes in syndication. That show featured a mostly new lineup of characters, though the team was led by Egon Spengler.

The “Ghostbusters” franchise launched in 1984 with the first film, which was directed by Ivan Reitman (Jason’s father) and co-written by stars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. That was followed by “Ghostbusters 2” in 1989, which brought back the original core cast and creative team. Paul Feig helmed the reboot “Ghostbusters” film in 2014. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” premiered in November 2021. It was well-received by critics and went on to gross nearly $200 million worldwide against a reported budget of $75 million.

News of the new animated series comes on the annual “Ghostbusters Day” celebration, during which Jason Reitman and Kenan are expected to unveil more about future “Ghostbusters” projects. Reitman’s other credits include films like “Up in the Air” and “Juno,” while Kenan previously directed the animated feature “Monster House.”

Big news for “Ghostbusters” fans: the franchise is in development on an animated film, and the sequel to “Afterlife” is returning to the original films’ home of New York City.

Several announcements were delivered by Sony Pictures and Ghost Corps’ Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan as part of Ghostbusters Day, the annual celebration of the first “Ghostbusters” film’s release on June 8, 1984. The new animated film is based on “Ghosbusters” IP and being developed by Jason Reitman and Kenan along with Sony Pictures Animation. Chris Prynoski (executive producer, “Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe”) and Jennifer Kluska (“Hotel Transylvania: Transformania”) are set to direct, with Brenda Hsueh (supervising producer, “Disjointed”) on board to write.

During the presentation, Jason Reitman and Kenan also confirmed that the sequel to 2021’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” will return to New York City and the iconic Firehouse setting of the original films.

Other news includes the unveiling of Ivan Reitman Way on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, a virtual reality training simulator called “Ghostbusters VR Academy” and a “Ghostbusters” comic series by Dark Horse that will bridge the gap between “Afterlife” and the upcoming sequel. Hasbro also revealed two Ivan Reitman figurines, one given to Ghost Corp to be displayed and the other donated to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles to be auctioned off at a charity event.

The announcements come after Variety exclusively revealed on Wednesday morning that a “Ghostbusters” animated series is in the works at Netflix, produced by Jason Reitman and Kenan.