With yesterday’s news confirming the release date for the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel, fans are undoubtedly curious about which cast members will reprise their roles, and in what shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, original star Ernie Hudson is all but confirmed to return as fan-favorite and series original, Winston Zeddemore.
We’ve already touched on who from Afterlife’s cast you can expect to see back, and now, thanks to an article from The Hollywood Reporter, we’ve got info on Hudson’s likely participation, along with a vague outline of what the future holds for the franchise.
As mentioned during Ghostbusters Day, the film is expected to pick up in New York City, tieing itself to Afterlife‘s post-credits scene that sees Winston returning the Ecto-1 to the firehouse headquarters. During that scene, it’s mentioned that Winston has financially done well for himself, becoming the head of his own enterprise, which, as it turns out, will play a large part in the future of Ghostbusters, with Director Jason Reitman saying:
“The character of Winston Zeddemore and Zeddemore Industries figures strongly into the future of Ghostbusters.”
Hudson, who attended the June 8th Ghostbusters Day event, Ecto-Fest, teased fans with his involvement in upcoming projects, saying:
“Rest assured, we have a lot of Ghostbusting ahead. I’ll just say, if need be, the flight suit still fits.”
It’s said that the upcoming limited edition Ghostbusters comic series from Dark Horse Comics, also set to arrive next year, will bridge the gap between Ghostbusters: Afterlife and the forthcoming sequel.
“When we first talked about Afterlife three years ago at Ghostbusters Day, our hope was that it would lead to all kinds of great storytelling, that it wouldn’t be a one-off film, but the opening of a door,” Reitman said, adding, “And today, that promise comes true. If you’re a Ghostbusters fan, you’re about to have access to all different decades of Ghostbusters history as well as the future, characters you haven’t met yet, and places you haven’t gone yet. If you’re a Ghostbusters fan, you’ve got a lot coming your way.”
The sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, codenamed, Firehouse, is set to arrive in theaters on December 20th, 2023.
Thanks to Just Pushing Play for the heads up on The Hollywood Reporter article!
