A new Ghostbusters: Afterlife preview sets up a showdown between Egon Spengler’s grandkids and a new type of specter.
Released as part of a six-scene compilation, the clip sees Phoebe, Trevor and Phoebe’s new friend Podcast slowly driving the Ecto-1 through Summerville in search of a ghost, though Trevor questions whether they saw “a raccoon or, like, a possum” instead. Immediately afterward, they come across a blue, multi-armed ghost gnawing on a fire hydrant, which Podcast describes as a “floating metal muncher, definitely Class 5.” During their reconnaissance, however, the kids accidentally activate their car’s hidden gunner seat, which alerts the Muncher to Phoebe’s presence.
Previous Ghostbusters: Afterlife trailers have expanded upon this scene, showing a vehicular chase between the kids and Muncher with the assistance of a four-wheeled Ghost Trap called the RTV. Other clips from the compilation include Phoebe and Podcast trying out a proton pack, reactivating a Trap with their teacher Mr. Grooberson using a school bus engine, and Grooberson encountering an army of mini-Stay Puft Marshmallow men in his local Walmart. Despite these familiar paranormal encounters, Slimer, the Sedgewick hotel ghost from the original 1984 film, has yet to appear in Afterlife‘s marketing. The character officially received his name in The Real Ghostbusters animated series and has since made multiple appearances in Ghostbusters cartoons, the 2009 video game, the IDW comics, and the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot.
When asked how he conceptualized Afterlife‘s story, director Jason Reitman revealed that he came up with versions of Phoebe and Trevor’s characters early on but, following the death of Ghostbusters actor Harold Ramis, decided to make them Egon’s family.
“There was a moment where I just saw this girl in my head, she was 12 years old and she was picking up a proton pack in the middle of a field and I didn’t know who she was,” Reitman said at the time. “And then I saw this, this teenage guy, and he was in Ecto-1 and he was drifting through wheat fields and I didn’t know who he was. And when Harold Ramis passed away, I suddenly knew who they were. They were the Spenglers, and I knew I needed to tell the story.”
Despite Ramis’ passing, his former cast members will appear as older versions of their Ghostbusters characters. Early trailers briefly featured Phoebe and Trevor’s mom Callie talking with Annie Potts’ Janine Melnitz and the latest one not only teased more of Dan Ackroyd’s Ray Stantz, but also a voiceover by Bill Murray as Peter Venkman.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife arrives in theaters Nov. 19.
Source: YouTube
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