In 2016, Ghostbusters became a surprisingly touchy subject when Paul Feig’s female-led reboot (or more specifically, the trailer for Paul Feig’s female-led reboot) drew heavy backlash that quickly escalated into some pretty ugly territory. In this storm of controversy, the actual quality of the film itself was practically beside the point, but regardless of whether you feel the movie deserved better than its underwhelming box office figures, at least the lack of a sequel allowed the world to move on from this all-round unpleasant chapter in recent pop culture.
Sadly, in the wake of last night’s announcement that director Ivan Reitman’s son Jason Reitman is working on a Ghostbusters 3 that goes back to the continuity of the first two movies, it looks like old tensions are bubbling to the surface once more. And while some fans are just glad to see more from the series, many feel it’s a shame that Feig’s version didn’t make it past one movie, while others are just tired of Columbia’s continued insistence on bringing back the property.
We get another Ghostbusters movie but it will not star Kate McKinnon or Leslie Jones?! pic.twitter.com/745Uv2zhzX
— Laura Zizek (@LauraKatherineZ) January 16, 2019
I’m totally fine with there being a new Ghostbusters movie set in the original universe – I just hate that the worst people will take credit for “winning” because they were so against the idea of female Ghostbusters. Sigh.
— Eric Goldman (@TheEricGoldman) January 16, 2019
Hope that new Ghostbusters movie leads to more of this. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/KcRHexU7k9
— Dinosaur Dracula (@DinosaurDracula) January 16, 2019
A new Ghostbusters film has been revealed, directed by the son of the original director. The story will involve the Ghostbusters fighting against an evil corporation who insists on bringing back the dead in order to make money.
— LonelyGoomba (@LonelyGoomba) January 16, 2019
https://twitter.com/williambgoss/status/1085351756941459457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1085351756941459457&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2F2019%2F01%2F16%2Fghostbusters-sequel-news-fans-react-jason-reitman%2F
I'm furious we have to talk about ghostbusters again
— Katie Walsh (@katiewalshstx) January 16, 2019
https://twitter.com/andrewmelijah/status/1085352469478211584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1085352469478211584&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2F2019%2F01%2F16%2Fghostbusters-sequel-news-fans-react-jason-reitman%2F
https://twitter.com/rahvenswood/status/1085352372182888448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1085352372182888448&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2F2019%2F01%2F16%2Fghostbusters-sequel-news-fans-react-jason-reitman%2F
https://twitter.com/ibrill/status/1085351561436422144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1085351561436422144&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2F2019%2F01%2F16%2Fghostbusters-sequel-news-fans-react-jason-reitman%2F
I say this as someone who grew up loving Ghostbusters, watching the cartoon, seeing the movie over and over and over again to a degree which is probably unhealthy but whatever: stop trying to make Ghostbusters happen.
— Zack Handlen (@zhandlen) January 16, 2019
Columbia has been struggling to make a third installment in the original Ghostbusters timeline happen for many years now, with Bill Murray seeming to go back and forth on the project. As it stands, no cast has been officially announced for the film, though Dan Aykroyd certainly seemed to think last year that he’d be involved in the sequel, and even stated a couple of months ago that he believes Murray will also come back.
In any case, Ghostbusters 3 is reportedly aiming for a summer 2020 release, but in the meantime, the responses you see above are surely just the start of the discourse this project will inspire.