Ghostbusters: Afterlife Star Carrie Coon Reveals Why She Was Afraid to Join the Sequel

If the opportunity to join the Ghostbusters franchise in any capacity would arise, many would gladly accept any role in order to become part of the iconic series, but actress Carrie Coon noted that she was apprehensive about joining Ghostbusters: Afterlife as a mom character because it could result in all future roles seeing her replicate that stereotype. While the character Coon would go on to play might have initially seemed like an established archetype, the actress noted that it was director and co-writer Jason Reitman’s storytelling skills that elevated the role beyond what she was anticipating. The film is currently set to be released on March 5, 2021.

“That was certainly one of the things I was afraid of when I first was approached about it,” Coon shared with Collider when discussing the potential impact of playing a mom in the film. “I think of Dee Wallace in ET who is a wonderful actress who then sort of became – well, she actually went on, had a really interesting life, but, you know, she became sort of the franchise mom. And I thought about that, but Jason is smarter than that.”

She added, “Jason is the next generation, and he wrote a lot of fun for all of us, and it was one of the reasons I said yes to it. You know, she actually has a personality, a sense of humor and she does get in on the action, and that was really fun for me! I mean, I’m a Ghostbuster basically, which is insane! I grew up with that movie!”

From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman, comes the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. The film is written by Jason Reitman & Gil Kenan.

The film was originally set to hit theaters earlier this summer, only for the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent closures of movie theaters around the world resulting in the film being pushed until next year. With this upcoming project being the first official sequel to 1989’s Ghostbusters II, and with appearances from original cast members having been confirmed, the wait for the new sequel will surely be worth it.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife hits theaters on March 5, 2021.

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