Netflix Developing Ghostbusters Series

Netflix is developing a new Ghostbusters animated series, Variety reports. Jason Reitman and Gil Kenen are executives producing the series for Ghost Corp Inc., working with Sony Pictures Animation. Reitman and Kenan co-wrote the most recent Ghostbusters movie, Ghostbuster: Afterlife, which Reitman also directed. Netflix is still keeping plot details confidential for now, and the show does not have a writer attached yet. Netflix a Ghost Corps Inc., based out of Columbia Pictures, will work together on the show’s production. The news comes on the annual Ghosbutsers Day celebration, marking the latest anniversary of the original Ghostbusters movie.

Assuming it makes it to release, this Ghostbusters show will be the third cartoon based on the original films from the 1980s. The first, The Real Ghostbusters, debuted in 1986. It continued the adventures of the original Ghostbusters characters over 140 episodes syndicated through 1991. Extreme Ghostbusters followed in 1997, with Egon Spengler leading a brand new cast of characters for 40 episodes.

Ghostbusters began with the 1984 film directed by Jason Reitman’s father, Ivan Reitman. Star Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis co-wrote the film. Ghostbusters 2 followed in 1989, featuring the same cast and creators. Paul Feig rebooted the franchise in 2016’s Ghostbusters (now also known as Ghostbusters: Answer the Call) featuring an entirely new cast. Ghostbusters: Afterlife got in on the legacy sequel trend, introducing a new generation of Ghostbusters related to the original cast. It grossed $200 million worldwide at the box office.

The Ghostbusters aren’t done in live-action either. After the success of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the studio announced plans for a follow-up. Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman confirmed that the studio will pursue further sequels.

“Yes, we will,” he told Deadline. “We have plenty of franchise universes with which to operate in, but since I have Deadline here, I want to say, and please include this, OK? Everyone will say, yeah you did $3 billion but it’s all sequels and superheroes. It was not all that. There was Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood and Little Women. This summer, we’ve got Bullet Train, from David Leitch, with Brad Pitt, a pure original, R-rated rock ’em, sock ’em action movie for grownups. And Where the Crawdads Sing, a big bestseller with an up-and-coming actress, Daisy Edgar Jones, for women. I absolutely believe that women will come back to the box office.”

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