Paul Rudd ain't afraid of no ghost in first Stranger Things-y trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Taking over from his father, Ivan, Jason Reitman continues the Ghostbusters saga in the first trailer for the original series' next installment: Afterlife. Serving as a sequel to 1989's Ghostbusters II, the upcoming supernatural comedy film brings in a younger generation of characters (led by Paul Rudd) to battle another army of angry spirits.

Rudd portrays Mr. Grooberson, a bearded seismologist investigating mysterious tremors in a small and rural town that's experiencing spiritual activity that hasn't been seen anywhere in the world for decades. The ectoplasmic entities do look sort of familiar, though, as we get quick flashes of what may be Slimer and a Terror Dog.

Mckenna Grace (Captain Marvel), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), Carrie Coon (The Leftovers), Bokeem Woodbine (In the Shadow of the Moon), and Oliver Cooper (Project X) are among the newcomers to co-star.

You can begin to exorcise some demons with Ecto-1 and proton packs in the new trailer below:

Based on the trailer, it looks like Grace and Wolfhard's characters may be the grandchildren of original Ghostbuster, Egon Spengler. This would be a great way to include Harold Ramis (who co-wrote the original movie and played Spengler), despite the fact that he passed away in 2014. Coon plays the single mother of these kids who are the next generation to carry on the phantom-fighting legacy.

Since this is a direct follow-up to the first two movies, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is reuniting most of the original actors: Bill Murray (Dr. Peter Venkman), Dan Aykroyd (Dr. Raymond "Ray" Stantz), Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore), Sigourney Weaver (Dana Barrett), and Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz). But the first trailer keeps much of those OG cast connections a mystery, at least for now.

Here's the first poster as well:

Credit: Sony Pictures

While the franchise is known for mixing horror, sci-fi, and comedy, there aren't many laughs to be found in the initial teaser. In fact, it looks like Reitman wants to play things pretty seriously by striving for a Super 8 kind of vibe. Maybe we'll get more light-heartedness from future promo materials when the original cast members begin to show their faces.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife will begin to haunt theaters everywhere on July 10, 2020.

Reitman co-wrote the project's screenplay with Monster House director, Gil Kenan.