Ghostbusters: Afterlife's Ernie Hudson Says Reuniting With Original Cast Was "Almost Spiritual"

For the first time over three decades, the original Ghostbusters are going to be back on-screen together once again. Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which was supposed to be released this summer but was pushed to 2021 due to COVID-19, picks up the story of the original two films, bringing in a new generation of characters alongside the initial New York-based team. Harold Ramis has sadly passed away in the years since Ghostbusters II, but Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver have all come back to reprise their original roles in Afterlife, which is directed by Jason Reitman, the son of Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman.

This new film is rooted in the nostalgia and story of the original Ghostbusters, which is what exactly what the fans of the franchise have been hoping to see. Believe it or not, the cast was equally as excited about the project. Ernie Hudson recently sat down with ComicBook.com over Zoom to talk about getting the gang back together for Afterlife, an experience that he said moved him deeply.

"Jason Reitman — who actually was in the second movie, he was the kid who opens the second movie, and I just remember him being around the set on both of the movies. So I know that he grew up with them, it's very personal to him, he wrote an amazing script, and he's established himself as a director on his own right," Hudson began. "He's a wonderful director and so when this started to happen, and because Jason was involved, I felt this would actually happen, I was really excited about it. But when it happened, going to the set for the first time and seeing Sigourney Weaver and Bill [Murray] and Dan [Aykroyd], honestly, it was almost spiritual. I mean, I know that sounds weird, but I was very moved by it. I was very touched.

"And I've seen everybody. I run into Sigourney sometimes, when I'm in New York I'll see Bill Murray. Just over the years, I've had contact with all of them, but somehow we're back together and wearing these jumpsuits, and it's a production, and it was great. It was just very moving and it was just wonderful. And the new cast is incredible, the kids are."

Hudson went on to say that there's something special about the Ghostbusters cast that he hasn't really experienced anywhere else throughout his career.

"I'm really excited about it, and I've done a lot of things, I don't normally get excited about too much, but just maybe because it's also been such a big part of my life, and I've shared that with these guys," he said. "I've done films with other people, but with these guys, I have this thing that we're all a part of. So it's been life changing, not in the way I expected it to. And so, we're all kind of a part of that, that made it very moving for me. I mean, I didn't cry on the set, but I really felt very touched. And everybody's done well. You know what I mean? Yeah, it was really nice to be there."

The trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife showed just how deeply connected to the original this movie will be, and it sounds like those connections were felt by everyone on the set.

Are you looking forward to seeing the classic Ghostbusters back in action when Ghostbusters: Afterlife arrives in theaters? Let us know in the comments!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife arrives in theaters on March 5, 2021.