Despite the very lukewarm success of Ghostbusters: The Ice Menaceand Ghostbusters 5 is in the pipeline. But it will apparently get rid of one of the big problems of recent films.
Ghostbusters: The Ice Menace is clearly not one of the big box office successes of 2024. With 201 million dollars collected in theaters, the film with a budget of 100 million even a tad below Ghostbusters: Legacy in 2021, which cost a little less (75 million).
But the business of Ghostbusters is indestructible, and cinema may be just a detail in Sony’s plans. The merchandising and lucrative contracts signed with Netflix and Disney to exploit their streaming catalog certainly give reasons to continue, and a new movie SOS Fantômes is unsurprisingly in development.
It will be the sixth film stamped Ghostbustersand the fifth in the official saga since the SOS Fantômes from 2016 (“the one with the girls”) exists in its own parallel universe. And one of the pillars of the franchise, Dan Aykroyd, gave a first information on the next episode, which should solve one of the big problems of recent films.
GOODBYE TO THE ORIGINAL TEAM, APPARENTLY
Dan Aykroyd is part of the furniture of Ghostbusters. He was the co-writer of the first filmin addition to interpreting Doctor Ray Stantz. He reprized the role in Ghostbusters II (1989), Ghostbusters: Legacy (2021) et The Ice Menace (2024). And even though he spit on it, he also appeared in the 2016 film, as well as being credited as a producer.
Car Dan Aykroyd est also and above all a businessman. In 2015 he founded the Ghost Corps company with Ivan Reitman (director of the first two films) and his son Jason Reitman (director of The Legacyand co-writer-producer of The Ice Menace). It is therefore now one of the temple guardians Ghostbusters.
This is why he knows what he is talking about, a priori. Asked by The Post in November 2024 on a possible return to Ray Stantz in the next film, he replied:
“I don’t think so. I don’t see where they would need us to continue. They have a whole new cast, and they have a whole bunch of new ideas. I think they’re probably going to move forward by going beyond the original characters, and that’s what they should do. »
And he is right: after having brandished the nostalgia card to bring audiences togetherthe saga seriously needs to move forward.
GHOSTS VS GHOSTS
As a reminder, the original team of Ghostbusters landed in the finale of Ghostbusters: Legacy to save the situation. The ghost of Harold Ramis, who died in 2014, was even there in the role of Egon Spengler, just to ensure filiation since his daughter and granddaughter were at the center of the plot.
After this appearance, almost everyone was back in Ghostbusters: The Ice Menacefor… not much. Widely sold on the return to New York, in the barracks and with the original cast (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and even Annie Potts), the direct sequel to The legacy just didn’t know what to do with the old characters. Lost in the middle of the new family, the indispensable second knives (Podcast and Lucky) and the new faces, Venkman, Stantz, Zeddemore and Janine were luxury extras.
Getting rid of them would therefore be a wise decision if anyone has the slightest intention of moving forward, even by a millimeter. It remains to be seen if the new team (or Ghostbusters quite simply) sufficiently interests the public to attract without the old furniture in the decor.
No specific information on the new film SOS Fantômesconfirmed by director Gil Kenan in October 2024. He had nevertheless mentioned ideas for several episodes, discussed with Jason Reitman.
