Just in, Sony has dropped two new trailers (the second being an international trailer), and they both go at the story in different ways. Here’s the one for the US release:

Admittedly the official trailer does seem to lean to heavily on fanservice and everyone recognizing Walter Peck and all the other nods; but the international trailer does lean in more on the spooky/comedy vibes of the franchise, and we get to see a lot more including Winston’s new Ghostbusters lab. Check it:

With Afterlife leaning in on a returning villain in the form of Gozer, this sequel does promise to introduce us to some new ghosts (and some we’ve met before). While the Ghostbusters simply trapped the ghosts in earlier films, this new one is now all about studying them and finding out a place where they can be stored.

It’s also worth noting that James Acaster’s look as the new technician strongly resembles that of the animated Egon Spengler from the cartoons, with the wacky blonde hair and gray suit. Harold Ramis himself may be gone, but at least they found a way to bring Egon back along with the rest of the original crew.

Here’s the official synopsis:

In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.

Watch out for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire when it comes out in theaters on March 21.

Here’s the first teaser:

In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.

Though the first movie had brought back classic villain Gozer, it does seem that the sequel is now going to be bringing back a new villain. We don’t know where exactly they come from, but it was teased in the last movie that the ghost containment unit in the fold firehouse was in danger.

Besides the returning faces from the first film, we also have confirmation that the original Ghostbusters will also be returning. We also have new characters played by Kumail Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt joining the fray.

I’ll admit, I thought Afterlife as a movie kind of took itself too seriously, and it seems like they’re doing the same thing with Frozen Empire. Hopefully, we still get some more comedy out of the film, and this is just for me personally, but it would be fun if they brought back some of the capitalist satire of the first films.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire comes to cinemas on March 29, 2024.

THR reports that the next Ghostbusters movie has been codenamed Firehouse, and it’s set to hit theaters December 20, 2023. Director Jason Reitman had this to say about the project:

“At the end of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the Ecto-1 is driving into Manhattan, returning to its home. And before anyone ever heard the title Afterlife, we called it Rust City. Which would not have made sense to anyone until they saw the movie. The code name for the next movie is ‘Firehouse.’”

There are just so many elements that make the Ghostbusters films what they are, and Afterlife didn’t really get that New York setting or that ‘getting-into-business’ vibe that the original had. With this sequel though, we are promised a return to the classic Ghostbusters HQ; and it’s possible that the Spenglers will try to make money out of all the ghostbustin’ equipment that they have in Egon’s farm.

Since we are back in the city, though, I hope that we get more involvement from vet actors Dan Aykroyd or Ernie Hudson. While it’s great that they appeared in Afterlife, it did feel kind of forced that they appeared mostly in the end. It would be great if they were more involved with the story this time around. At least, that’s what I think.

Catch the next Ghostbusters film when it hits theaters on Dec.20, 2023.

Watch the trailer for Afterlife down here:

Though we’re not expecting a return from every original cast member, we do have the appearance of Annie Potts, who plays the secretary Janine in the original films. With Egon and her teasing a romance in the original films (and consummating them in the animated one), it looks like she is the Spengler matriarch. The end of the preview also teases the return of Dan Aykroyd’s Ray who seems to be the running an occult book shop.

Besides that, we also have a statue that looks a lot like Gozer from the original film, complete with the flat top. We don’t know if she’ll be making a comeback in the film, but we do see Paul Rudd’s character being chased by one of the demon dogs.

After the failed reboot of 2016, it looks like Sony is backtracking on its direction for Ghostbusters and going the sequel/reboot route. With a young cast at the helm, we could be looking at a whole new generation of Ghostbusters. Hopefully this time the story will manage to properly revive the franchise.

When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.

Catch Ghostbusters: Afterlife when it comes out this Nov. 11.