Ghostbusters: Afterlife images tease a world that's forgotten about ghosts

Ahead of a trailer on Monday, the folks behind the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife are shining a light on the latest film in the hallowed franchise, and our PKE meter is spiking off the charts. Director and co-writer Jason Reitman, son of Ivan Reitman (the original film’s helmer and a producer on this one), has revealed how he's bringing the idea of family connection into the new film's plot, while also confirming the title of a movie once known simply as Ghostbusters 2020.

Not only is Ghostbusters: Afterlife the official title, but now fans have a few more plot details about how the next generation of paranormal investigators will get their start. This all comes via a report from Vanity Fair, which explains that the second sequel to the original film (as the female-fronted reboot wasn’t directly following the story of the first films) will be about two kids, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), finding “out who their grandfather was and whether they’re ready to pick up the proton pack themselves.”

That’s Jason Reitman explaining the plot, which he also says directly “connects back to the Manhattan Crossrip of 1984.” Doesn’t ring a bell? Well that’s the official name for the stream-crossing nonsense that resulted in the Ghostbusters battling the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Now the pair of kids and their mom (Carrie Coon) are digging up all sorts of paranormal secrets in and around their grandfather’s old property in small-town Oklahoma.

The Ecto-1 is in their barn; Phoebe finds a psychokinetic energy meter; and their teacher Mr. Grooberson (Paul Rudd) is somehow in possession of a ghost trap. 

Take a look:

The kids can’t escape this legacy. “The joy of cowriting a film like this is imagining the sound of Ecto-1’s engine revving back to life or the moment a PKE meter lights up for the first time and begins leading you toward your destiny,” Reitman said.

Whether that destiny lies on the property itself or in a mysterious nearby mine, it’ll make it clear that the happenings in 1984 weren’t fictional. This movie takes place in a time when the latest generation considers the Crossrip and its paranormal implications to be a myth — or has completely forgotten about it. Grooberson will be a source of knowledge about the event as the kids discover their past — and the ghostbusting future ahead of them.

While original cast members like Bill Muray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, and Ernie Hudson are set to reprise their characters, it’s unclear how they’ll tie into a film that’s set far, far away from their NYC stomping grounds. Perhaps we'll have more answers when the trailer drops on Monday, but for now, fans can debate away while checking out the new poster below:

Ghostbusters: Afterlife busts through theater doors on July 10, 2020.