Ghostbusters franchise will return to New York City in new Afterlife sequel

Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2 will see the action return to New York City for the first time since the original movies, writer and producer Jason Reitman confirmed at this year's CinemaCon (via Deadline).

Reitman, who's the son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, appeared at the convention via video link. A clip was shown of returning cast members McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Paul Rudd, and Carrie Coon sporting Ghostbusters uniforms as they revealed they would be living under one roof at the Ghostbusters firehouse in NYC.

Cast members Logan Kim and Celeste O’Connor are also returning for the sequel, while Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, James Acaster, and Emily Alyn Lind have joined the film in undisclosed roles.

During the panel, Reitman recalled screening the first movie at CinemaCon in 2021. "It was a huge night for me. It was the first time my father and I watched the movie together with an audience. We were showing the movie, it was just crushing," he said. "And halfway through my father leans over to me. He whispers into my ear, 'You really have to lose that shot of the car going over the bridge.'"

Ghostbusters: Afterlife was released in November 2021 and is set 32 years after the events of 1989's Ghostbusters 2. It follows Callie (Coon) as she and her two kids Trevor (Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Grace) move into the Oklahoma house she inherited from her estranged father – original Ghostbuster Egon Spengler (played by the late Harold Ramis). As they learn about their grandfather's past, the kids find themselves becoming the next generation of Ghostbusters as they battle an otherworldly threat that puts both their new home and the world in danger.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2 is set to hit the big screen on December 20, 2023. While we wait, check out our guide to all of this year's most highly anticipated movie release dates.

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related. I help bring you all the latest news, features, and reviews, as well as helming our Big Screen Spotlight column. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.