Who you gonna call? NYCC 2021 received a visit from the cast and crew of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, along with a massive surprise in store. Entertainment Weekly‘s Clark Collis moderated a panel featuring writer/director Jason Reitman, producer Ivan Reitman (director of Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II), Finn Wolfhard (Trevor), Mckenna Grace (Phoebe), Carrie Coon (Callie), Logan Kim (Podcast), Celeste O’Connor (Lucky) and writer Gil Kenan.
RELATED: Check out our NYCC 2021 coverage here!
During the panel, Ivan talks about how grateful he is for fans’ support. “Thank you for hanging in there for almost 40 years,” he says. Jason tells the crowd he’s been asked about making a Ghostbusters movie his whole life. This project is conceived from Jason’s vision of a teenage girl holding a pack and a boy racing through a field in the Ecto-1 — Grace and Wolfhard’s characters.
After Harold Ramis passed away, Jason realized these were the Spenglers, Egon’s grandchildren.
Wolfhard, Grace and O’Connor discuss the audition process and how none knew the project’s premise. Plot details were kept tightly under wraps by Reitman and Sony. Ghostbusters: Afterlife went by a codename during that casting process.
Additionally, we learn this film is Kim’s first movie credit, but, according to his castmates, he navigated the set as if he’d done it countless times before.
https://twitter.com/Ghostbusters/status/1446610584523378690
Wolfhard notes all of the effects are practical. “We planted a real field, and we just ripped through it,” he reveals. Coon adds that this helps actors — you can fully immerse yourself in that world.
Oh, and the cast confirms Paul Rudd is, indeed, a vampire. “He’s 107 years old,” Coon jokes.
Jason and Ivan worked closely together on set; their director chairs were even touching. Ivan teases that they tried not to fight, while Jason praises his father for his legacy.
As to the franchise’s future, Jason discloses he wants to make a film that opens “the universe to all kinds of stories,” and he hopes to see his favorite directors take up the Ghostbuster mantle.
Lastly, the panel wraps with a surprise screening of the film for NYCC attendees. To say I’m jealous would be an understatement!
Ghostbusters: Afterlife crashes into theaters on Friday, November 19.
Will you be busting ghosts next month? Sound off in the comments below!
NYCC 2021: THE EXPANSE Gets Season 6 Premiere Date and Teaser
Melody.McCune@geekgirlauthority.com
What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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