Ghostbusters: Afterlife Gets a Surprise Screening at NYCC

The highly anticipated Ghostbusters: Afterlife doesn’t arrive in theaters until next month, but some lucky fans were able to check out the new film in its entirety on Friday night. Sony hosted a Ghostbusters: Afterlife panel at this year’s New York Comic Con on Friday, with the creators and cast members on-hand to discuss it. Director Jason Reitman and his father, producer and original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, surprised everyone attending the panel by revealing that they’d be screening the whole movie. 

“My father and I think you’ve waited long enough,” Jason Reitman told the crowd before introducing the film. “I want to thank you all for hanging in for 40 years,” Ivan Reitman added, noting how long it has been since the original Ghostbusters was released. Unlike the 2016 reboot, Afterlife is more of a direct sequel to the first two films.

Before the lights went down for the official screening, Reitman asked fans not to spoil the ending or big moments in the film. There are going be cameos in the film from original cast members including Billy Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson, all reprising their classic Ghostbusters roles. Reitman likely wants to keep the nature of their appearance under wraps until Afterlife hits theaters in November.

Hudson has already confirmed that he has some kind of role in Afterlife. While speaking to , the actor opened up about seeing all of his former co-stars back together again on the new movie’s set.

“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 said. “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.”

Are you excited to check out Ghostbusters: Afterlife this fall? Let us know in the comments!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife arrives in theaters on November 19th.