2016's Ghostbusters reboot put the spotlight on a new female group of Ghostbusters and the response...well, it wasn't good. The movie was fine, but it wasn't what fans had been waiting for and the decision to have the original cast members make cameo appearances as different characters left a bad taste in many people's mouths.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife served as a true sequel to the first two movies, and in a moment that brought tears to a lot of eyes, the original foursome finally reunited during its final act.
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson all got to share the screen again, while VFX was used to add the late Harold Ramis to the mix. This was a special moment for fans, but even more special for the actors who had pretty much given up on ever returning as their respective characters.
Talking to us about his role in Prisoner's Daughter (which is now playing in theaters), Hudson looked back on what shooting that sequence meant to him.
"Yeah, there had been so much talk over the 30 years or so that it was going to happen or not going to happen…I just thought that whenever it happened, it would be great. They came up with the women’s version which is like, ‘Eh, that’s nice but…’"
"When Jason called about the last one, Afterlife, it was great being on the set and seeing Bill. We met again in that fight sequence when we’re all in our jumpsuits and flashbacked to that time of making the first one and it was all a new experience in New York, not just meeting these guys but seeing their insanity up close and personal [Laughs]. It was fun and it still is fun. I love it dearly, I really do."
"I know a lot has been said and written about some of the discomfort I experienced personally, but the guys were always just weird brothers in a strange way or certainly cousins [Laughs]. It’s nice after all these years to still be doing it. It’s one of those films people now introduce to their kids and still love. It’s great."
The franchise is one that clearly means a lot to Hudson, and he also shared with us how excited he is to step back into Winston's boots in the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel. Very little has been revealed about that movie ahead of its December 20 release, but excitement among fans to see where this story goes next is palpable.