‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ First Look Teases Unfinished, Supernatural Business and ’80s Nostalgia

The first look at Ghostbusters: Afterlife has arrived ahead of the trailer, revealing new plot details previously unknown to fans of the beloved ’80s franchise. Director Jason Reitman, son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, is taking the helm for the next installment of the phantom-fighting franchise, with a series of first-look photos and plot details published by Vanity Fair.

The movie, set for a 2020 release, stars The Leftovers‘ Carrie Coon as Callie with Captain Marvel‘s McKenna Grace and Stranger Things‘ Finn Wolfhard as her children (Phoebe and Trevor, respectively). Callie’s father was one of the original Ghostbusters (although we don’t officially know which one yet), and her kids must decide if they want to join the family business when they move to a property in a small Oklahoma town they inherit.

Reitman told Vanity Fair that when the family arrives at an old farm, they “begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters. Trevor and Phoebe are about to find out who their grandfather was and whether they’re ready to pick up the proton pack themselves.”

Inside the collapsing barn, they find an old car beneath a tarp — which turns out to be the retro-ambulance turned ghost-hunting mobile. One photo shows Trevor laying eyes on the vehicle for the first time. Elsewhere in the creepy house, Phoebe finds a device that reads psychokinetic energy — one that Ghostbusters fans recognize immediately as a tool of the trade from the original movies.

“The joy of co-writing a film like this is imagining the sound of Ecto-1’s engine revving back to life or the moment a PKE meter lights up for the first time and begins leading you toward your destiny,” Reitman said.

Another shot shows Phoebe and her schoolmate (Logan Kim) ignoring warning signs to venture closer to an abandoned and dangerous mine nearby, from which they hear strange rumblings.

Trevor and Phoebe eventually learn through their summer school teacher Mr. Grooberson (Paul Rudd), who was a kid when the Manhattan Crossrip occurred, about the Ghostbusters “myth” from so many years ago. One photo shows Rudd appearing to be holding an actual ghost trap.

Afterlife “is a new adventure that connects back to the Manhattan Crossrip of 1984,” Reitman said, unlike the 2016 all-female reboot, which started its story from scratch and existed in a different storytelling universe.

The first Ghostbusters: Afterlife trailer is set to drop Monday, with the film scheduled to premiere in theaters on July 10, 2020.