Sony Pictures announced a December 20, 2023 release date for the follow-up to Ghostbusters: Afterlife earlier this year, and the official statement mentioned that the first film's director, Jason Reitman, would be stepping back behind the camera.
However, Deadline is now reporting that the untitled sequel has found a new helmer, with Afterlife writer/executive producer Gil Kenan set to take over.
“It’s an absolute honor to pick up the proton pack and step behind the camera for the next chapter of the Spengler family saga. I just wish I could go back to 1984 and tell the kid in the sixth row of the Mann Valley West that one day he was going to get to direct a Ghostbusters film,” said Kenan.
“A few years ago, my father handed me the keys to Ecto-1 and together we made Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Words will never express how grateful I am to have made a filmwith my father by my side. It’s now time to hand those keys to my creative partner and fellow Ghostbuster Gil Kenan, a brilliant director who will keep the Spengler spirit alive. I can only hope to provide him the same producorial care and support that my father showed me,” added Reitman.
Kenan has previously helmed Monster House, City of Ember, A Boy Called Christmas, and the 2015 Poltergeist remake.
Plot details are still under wraps, but after moving the spooky adventures to a more rural setting for Afterlife, we'll be returning to the franchise's more familiar location of New York City in the next movie.
Main cast members Carrie Coon (Callie Spengler) Finn Wolfhard (Trevor), Mckenna Grace (Phoebe), and Paul Rudd (Gary Grooberson) are expected to return, but it's not clear if Ghostbusters OGs Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson will also reprise their roles - although the latter does seem like a fairly safe bet after the last movie's post-credits scene.
In the stinger, we saw Winston return to the team's old fire house headquarters, where the refurbished ECTO-1 was waiting. Though nothing has been confirmed just yet, the implication was that Zeddemore was planning to train a new group of spook-hunters.