While we’re still pretty early in the 2023 new movie releases calendar, the future is always something to keep a close eye on. Ghostbusters fans are certainly excited about the tail end of the year, as the follow-up to the franchise’s recent legacy-quel is slated to debut this December. That hype is about to shift into another gear, as co-writer Jason Reitman is celebrating the start of production on Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2.
In a photo shared to Instagram, Reitman is posed with his Ghostbusters directing successor/co-writer Gil Kenan, holding one of the series’ most iconic props in his hand: a ghost trap. Meanwhile, Kenan has in his hands a clapboard for the film, which is still operating under its chosen working title.
If you were hoping to have a new title to replace the previously selected code name “Firehouse,” you’ll have to keep the celebratory Ecto Cooler on ice for a little longer. But you should definitely check out that post, with the photo included, below:
That word remains pretty important to Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2, as it’s also hinted at the sequel’s return to the original Ghostbusters HQ in previous set construction photos. Looking in the background, behind Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan’s smiling faces, one can see a set that looks like it could be part of the upper floor that saw the original cast saving the day from a great paranormal threat.
So maybe it’s a good thing that no official title has been selected for Afterlife 2, as it isn’t easy to translate the importance of that location into a more marketable name. It certainly wasn’t easy to translate “Rust City” into Ghostbusters: Afterlife, yet the right title eventually presented itself.
As the production of this next film in this beloved sci-fi movie franchise is just getting underway, there’s plenty of time for such answers. The unfolding action will for sure present a title that encapsulates how the Ghostbusters legacy will be represented this time around.
Just as one would expect with any sequel, us fans are back to square one in terms of what to expect out of Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2. The only real clues we have are what was presented in the post-credits scenes for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and those moments circle back to the same word we’ve been discussing throughout this whole rundown. Maybe “Firehouse” can translate into something fitting like Ghostbusters: Resurrection, but for now, we’ll just have to be patient.
We may not know the proper name for this new legacy-quel adventure, but what we do know about Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2 is that it’s slated to hit theaters on December 23rd. Unless that date shifts, and that just might happen considering some of the competition heading to the movies around that time frame, we could get more information about this mysterious adventure in the near future. For now, fans can revisit Ghostbusters: Afterlife, provided they have access to an active Starz subscription at their disposal.
