The new Ghostbusters sequel is almost out of Ecto Containment…
Sony Pictures recently broke fans’ hearts when they announced that the upcoming sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), initially set for release in December this year, had been pushed back until March, 2024.
Afterlife was a huge hit when it was released in late 2021, impressing fans and critics and grossing $204.4 million worldwide. While it relies heavily on nostalgia (it’s bursting at the seams with Easter eggs and references), it helped put the franchise back on the map.
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However, despite being anchored to the original 1984 film, it still helped move the franchise forward by introducing a team of young new Ghostbusters with Phoebe (McKenna Grace), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), Podcast (Logan Kim), and Lucky Domingo (Celeste O’Connor).
The upcoming Ghostbusters sequel will see these characters being trained by legacy characters Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) to become the next generation of Ghostbusters.
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While Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2 (2024) was filmed in London in the UK earlier this year, it will return to New York City. It’s directed by Afterlife co-writer Gil Kenan and will be the fourth film in the main series.
Fortunately, there has been plenty of supernatural goings-on elsewhere in the franchise to keep us occupied while we wait, from fan films to an official short film featuring the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and the Ecto-1 duking it out in New York City.
Related: Despite Major Delay, ‘Ghostbusters 4’ Will Screen This Week
There are plenty of other upcoming Ghostbusters sequels, too, such as a brand-new comic book series that will tie into the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife and next year’s sequel, as well as an animated film and an animated series heading to Netflix.
And there’s also Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord (2023), a single-player action-adventure and multiplayer virtual reality video game, in which players can equip themselves with familiar weapons and gadgets, such as PKE meters and proton packs, and even upgrade their equipment and character’s outfits.
We’ve already seen a couple of teasers for the game, but now the Ecto Containment Unit has unleashed even more, including a brand-new trailer and behind-the-scenes featurette.
Here’s everything you need to know about Rise of the Ghost Lord.
Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord
What’s it about?
Rise of the Ghost Lord will be the first virtual reality game in the franchise. It’s also the first Ghostbusters installment set in San Francisco, as it follows a new team who must stop the titular “Ghost Lord”, a character named Gustav Hookfaber (voiced by Keith Silverstein).
As per the official website, here’s the synopsis for the upcoming virtual reality game:
Strap on your proton pack and Meta Quest 2 and step into the world of Ghostbusters in immersive virtual reality. Run your Ghostbusters HQ in a new city, San Francisco, and unravel a rich mystery in a new chapter for the Ghostbusters universe.
Wield iconic equipment as you track, blast, and trap ghosts in gripping encounters across an extensive and engrossing campaign. Go it alone, or as a team with up to three friends in co-op to defeat a ghastly new threat – the Ghost Lord. Continue the Ghostbusters’ legacy, protect the city from fiendish ghosts, and experience all the humor and frights from the beloved franchise.
In a new featurette for the game revealed during last week’s State of Play, Sony presented a developer round table which featured VP of Production for Sony Pictures Virtual Reality Riley Cooper, Game Director Nathan Basely, Senior Character Artist Nele Steenput, Level Designer Qasam Iqbal, and Principal Project Manager Deepa Karanth, who delve into the game’s plot and the virtual reality experience.
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“It may look like I’m on an average New York street corner,” Cooper says, “but I’m actually on the set of an upcoming Ghostbusters film.”
Look behind the crew, and you’ll see that they’re outside Ray’s Occult Books, as recently seen in Afterlife and the multiplayer video game Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed (2022).
Nathan Basely then talks about the game’s plot, saying:
“Imagine that the Ghostbusters have set up franchises all across the states, including San Francisco. It’s been really quiet. There’s been no activity for ages. That leads into where the game begins. A spark of PKE that’s just picked up on a radar. They just need someone to go in and check it out. Inadvertently, we happen to release this threat, the Ghost Lord. He went to university with the Ghostbusters, and he studied under them. The Columbia University in New York. His mission, his objective, is to bring about the first undead city. And he’s chosen San Francisco.”
Regarding the virtual reality aspect of Rise of the Ghost Lord, Deepa Karanth describes the game as “the next level of immersion VR”, while Basely adds “It feels like you’re in the movie,” and that you can even “feel the ghosts fly through you.”
Check it out below:
Rise of the Ghost Lord Trailer
Per Ghostbusters News, State of Play also unveiled a new trailer for the game, which you can check out below:
As you can see from the trailer, the game sees the return of the Mini Pufts from Afterlife, although it serves as a direct sequel to the 1984 film, as its villain, Gustav Hookfaber, once studied under Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler at Columbia University.
Who’s in it?
While there’s no cast list for Rise of the Ghost Lord, Ernie Hudson is the narrator in the current and previous trailer. Whether or not any other actors or characters from the previous films will show up remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t be the first time.
Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd, and Annie Potts all reprised their roles as Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, Ray Stantz, and Janine Melnitz, respectively, in Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009).
Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson also reprised their roles in Spirits Unleashed.
When’s it out?
The game will be released on October 26, 2023. It will be available on the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest Pro, and the PlayStation VR2.
When is Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2 out?
Sony Pictures has confirmed that Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2 will be released in theaters on March 20, 2024.
It stars McKenna Grace (Phoebe), Logan Kim (Podcast), Celeste O’Connor (Lucky), Finn Wolfhard (Trevor), Carrie Coon (Callie), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz), Paul Rudd (Gary Grooberson), William Atherton (Walter Peck), Bill Murray (Peter Venkman), Dan Aykroyd (Ray Stantz), and Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore), and Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, James Acaster, and Emily Alyn Lind in undisclosed roles.
For more information about Rise of the Ghost Lord, check out the official website.
Will you be playing this Ghostbusters virtual reality game? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
