After 2016's divisive reboot, Ghostbusters: Afterlife was the return to form fans of the franchise had been waiting for. As well as introducing a compelling new set of leads, the movie brought the original cast back and, thankfully, it was not as newly created characters.
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Annie Potts, William Atherton, and Ernie Hudson are all set to once again reprise their respective Ghostbusters roles in the upcoming sequel. When we recently spoke to the latter about his role in Prisoner's Daughter (which arrives in theaters on Friday), we asked what fans can expect from the movie.
Remember, Afterlife ended with Winston Zeddemore, now a wealthy entrepreneur and family man, returning the fully restored Ecto-1 to the Ghostbusters' firehouse. As expected, it sounds like he'll be bankrolling the new iteration of the team.
"I love the fact that Jason [Reitman] and Gil Kenan, who directed this one, move the story forward. The old Ghostbusters are there even though I’m starting to feel we’re the ‘old’ Ghostbusters [Laughs]," Hudson tells us in the video below. "How do you make it a part of that and give the new people the freedom to be the story they want to be? Winston, having his big corporation and the money to fund some things, really gives him a purpose and place to be."
"That was always a problem with the first two. You were there, but where’s my place here? To me, it was obvious, but some reactions said, ‘So, Winston is there…’ I love that and love playing a part of the story where I can help move things forward. Whenever you’re not writing stuff, it’s always bringing to life someone else’s vision which is not always yours [Laughs] but you make it work and I’m very happy to be part of that franchise. I love it."
"I think the fans will like the new ones as well," the actor teased. "There’s a lot going on and I was really happy to see Bill not just back in it, but to be really enthusiastic about it. And Danny and Annie. It was fun. We’ve finished it up and will wait to see what it all comes together and looks like."
Very little has been revealed about the movie thus far, though a few of the younger actors have been spotted suited up on set. Whether the original Ghostbusters will be among them remains to be seen, though it will be hard to top that tear-jerking scene which saw them reunite during Afterlife's final act.
The untitled Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel is set to be released on December 20.