Ghostbusters: Afterlife Synopsis Teases Ties to the Original Film

Sony has released an official synopsis for the forthcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife, set to be released in 2020. Jason Reitman, the son of original Ghostbusters filmmaker Ivan Reitman, will connect his film to the first two movies, rather than existing in a separate universe like Paul Feig's "Answer the Call" Ghostbusters reboot did. The project was announced earlier this year, and went into development and production almost immediately, riding on intense word of mouth after a brief video glimpse at the famed Ecto-I car from the original franchise. Reitman and the studio have done their best to keep the story itself top secret, with only basic details of who the characters are so far public knowledge.

Even with the release of the official synopsis, that more or less remains the case. We already knew that the family at the center of the film -- played by genre veterans Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace, and Finn Wolfhard -- would have some kind of ties to the original Ghostbusters (played by a returning Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson), and that is really all that the synopsis gives us, officially. Annie Potts and Sigourney Weaver will also reprise their roles from the original films. Paul Rudd also appears, along with Celeste O'Connor, Bokeem Woodbine, and Oliver Cooper.

Here's the official synopsis: "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."

Even the return of the original characters seemed like they were originally supposed to be surprise announcements, but of course fan enthusiasm got the better of more or less everyone, and by the time the film was in production, both Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts had talked about their planned returns.

The reunion element seems like a logical progression of the brand -- Paul Feig's film was a full reboot, but still made room for cameo roles of original series actors as new characters, and that didn't fly with hardcore fans -- but coming on the heels of Terminator: Dark Fate, it feels a lot less like a sure thing than it might have back when fans first saw the tarp blowing off that old, repurposed ambulance.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is expected in theaters on July 10, 2020.