‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Teaser With Paul Rudd Reveals Iconic Character’s New Form

A brand new Ghostbusters: Afterlife teaser with Paul Rudd has revealed the return of a beloved character from the franchise. The massive and destructive Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man is coming back, but this time there’s a bunch of him. The danger is certainly much more minimal this time around, though, as the once-sinister creature is coming back to life as a package of adorable mini Stay-Puft Marshmallow Men.

In the new teaser, Rudd’s character checks out the frozen dessert section of a grocery store while picking out some ice cream. He hears a scream but ignores it and instead wanders off to pick up some sundae ingredients. He notices a bag of marshmallows moving and out pops a tiny Stay-Puft Man. At first, the little guy seems to be harmless, but as Rudd goes to poke its belly, the fangs come out, and that the Stay-Puft tyke lays down a vicious bite on Rudd’s finger.

Suddenly, the scene at hand becomes apparent, and Rudd realizes that dozens of tiny Stay-Puft Marshmallow Men wreak havoc in the grocery store. Some are roasting others over a fire grill — which is wildly morbid in its own way — while others are melting chocolate over the top of one lying on a graham cracker. The scene is reminiscent of the evil and chaotic Gingerbread men that torment the family in Krampus, but with less violence.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife was co-written and directed by Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Juno, and Thank You for Smoking.) He is the son of Ivan Reitman, who directed 1984’s Ghostbusters and its 1989 sequel, Ghostbusters II. The elder Reitman also is a producer of the new film. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a direct sequel to the original films and will reportedly not acknowledge the 2016 reboot, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, as it is said to take place in an alternate timeline.

In addition to Rudd, the new film also stars Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), McKenna Grace (The Haunting of Hill House), and Carrie Coon (The Leftovers). It is also confirmed that nearly all the stars of the original films, including Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver, will appear as well. Sadly, Harold Ramis, who appeared in the original films and was a co-writer on both, passed away in 2014. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is currently scheduled to be released on Nov. 11.