As Paul Feig discovered several years ago, rebooting Ghostbusters is no easy task. The director and his cast suffered incredible backlash from almost the second the 2016 version was first announced, with the constant online trolling surrounding the movie ultimately ending with a whimper thanks to mediocre reviews and box office disappointment.
That being said, this summer’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife has a lot more goodwill behind it. Not only is it a continuation of the story that was previously visited in the 1984 original and Ghostbusters II, as opposed to Feig’s update that brought back several legacy cast members for cameos in completely unrelated roles, but the fourth installment in the franchise is also keeping it in the family.
Jason Reitman, son of Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II director Ivan, is behind the camera for Afterlife, which also marks the first detour into blockbuster territory for the four-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker. While the initial trailer faced some backlash for being a little too reminiscent of Stranger Things, it certainly brought the sense of nostalgia that we’ve come to expect from long-delayed follow-ups to classic family films.
Of course, the Ghostbusters’ signature mode of transportation featured heavily in the debut footage, and now a newly-released image shows that not only is Ecto-1 back and raring to go, but the former hearse has been fitted with some nifty new upgrades.
Hopefully Ghostbusters: Afterlife doesn’t overload on nostalgia, because if the criticism currently facing Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker tells us anything, fans want something new and not just a series of recognizable faces and locations. That being said, the core original cast of Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver are all-but-confirmed to show up at some point, so we remain hopeful that Reitman can pull of the delicate balancing act when the movie hits theaters in July.