New ‘Ghostbusters’ Movie Coming in 2020, Will Be Set in Original Films’ Universe

A new Ghostbusters movie is slated to come out in 2020, but it will not be connected to the controversial 2016 reboot. Instead it will be based in the timeline of the original two Ghostbusters films.

The movie will be written and directed by Jason Reitman, the son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman. Jason is known for directing Juno, Up In the Air and Thank You for Smoking. He also wrote the later two of those movies

“I’ve always thought of myself as the first Ghostbusters fan, when I was a 6-year-old visiting the set. I wanted to make a movie for all the other fans,” Jason told Entertainment Weekly. “This is the next chapter in the original franchise. It is not a reboot. What happened in the ’80s happened in the ’80s, and this is set in the present day.”

The movie is planned to release in summer 2020 with production to begin later in 2019. No plot details have revealed yet, and it is unclear if any original Ghostbusters cast members will return for the new movie. Original cast members Bill Murray,Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver are all still active in show business. However, Harold Ramis died in 2014, and Rick Moranis has only made sporadic television and film appearances in recent years.

“This is very early, and I want the film to unwrap like a present. We have a lot of wonderful surprises and new characters for the audience to meet,” Jason said.

Jason also confirmed that the 2016 Ghostbusters crew will have no place in this new film, despite his admiration for director Paul Fieg and stars Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Kristen Wiig.

“I have so much respect for what Paul created with those brilliant actresses, and would love to see more stories from them. However, this new movie will follow the trajectory of the original film,” he said.

In the announcement, Jason stresses just how much he loves the original Ghostbusters movies and how he how plans to continue his father’s legacy.

“I’ve thought about this franchise and it has occupied a piece of my heart for basically as long as I can remember,” he said. I love everything about [Ghostbusters]. The iconography. The music. The tone. I remember being on set and seeing them try out the card catalog gag for the first time when the library ghost makes them come flying out. I remember the day they killed Stay Puft and I brought home a hardened piece of foam that just sat on a shelf for years. I was scared there was a terror dog underneath my bed before people knew what a terror dog was.”

As for what Ivan thinks of his son’s next venture, he seems extremely supportive. He marks the upcoming movie as a “passing of the torch” moment and says Jason’s pitch brought him to tears.

“It will be a passing of the torch both inside and out,” Ivan said. “It was a decision he had to come to himself. He worked really hard to be independent and developed a wonderful career on his own. So I was quite surprised when he came to me with Gil and said, ‘I know I’ve been saying for 10 years I’m the last person who should make a Ghostbusters movie, but…I have this idea.’ Literally, I was crying by the end of it, it was so emotional and funny.”