Hot on the heels of the announcement that Jason Reitman will be following in his father’s footsteps to direct Ghostbusters 3, the first teaser for this long-awaited (if somewhat controversial) sequel emerges online to announce the return of the old Ecto-1 vehicle.
Like the old song goes, there’s something strange in the neighborhood, though the ‘neighborhood’ for this fresh footage is looking a lot more rural than the usual New York setting. After observing some unusual flashes in a distant barn, the camera moves in for a closer look while ghostly winds and some eerie music help build the mood. As we enter the building, we see an object hidden under a sheet, which is quickly blown away to reveal the familiar Ghostbusters logo brandished on the original team’s car.
The teaser may not reveal a whole lot about the adventure to come, but given how surprising it is to see any footage this far in advance of release, it’ll certainly do for now. At the very least, the video tells us that Columbia Pictures isn’t kidding this time about pushing forward with their plans for Ghostbusters 3, a film that’s been talked about for so many years that many of us assumed it was never going to happen.
Of course, for anyone who remembers the ugliness that unfolded in response to the all-female Ghostbusters reboot, seeing the franchise revert back to its original timeline might be a bittersweet experience. Even most viewers who didn’t care for the movie will admit that the outrage provoked by Paul Feig’s feature before it had even reached cinemas was way out of proportion to whatever sins it committed, and with Columbia essentially giving the angry online commenters what they want, you can bet that Ghostbusters 3 will bring back a lot of the conflict and discourse around the franchise that most of us would probably rather leave in 2016.
Regardless, here’s hoping we’ll at least get a worthwhile movie out of the deal when the sequel hits theaters in summer 2020.