Ghostbusters are back, again?

Well, this was unexpected. There had been rumblings from Sony and Ivan Reitman as far back as 2016 that another live-action film was going to follow the Paul Feig version, but even these were vague and contradicted each other. One report suggested it would exist alongside the Answer the Call team but feature male 'bsters, probably including Chris Hemsworth and/or Pratt and/or Pine. Dan Aykroyd came out last year to say that yes, his old plan for a third movie in the original continuity was going ahead with himself and Ernie Hudson back in busting, with Bill Murray as a ghost - the same story he'd been reporting for the last twenty years. And yet, today, Jason Reitman (son of Ivan) revealed that a new movie, in continuity with the originals but featuring at least some new Ghostbusters, was about to enter production and should be on screens by 2020. There's even a teaser trailer.

I mean, there's very much a sense of "I'll believe it when I see it." Films can slip back into Development Hell as easily as they can hit the headlines. Still, 2020 is only next year, and even at the rate they churn films out these days, it must be fairly advanced if it's planned for then.

So, I'm cautiously excited. Reitman Sr. is onboard as producer. Reitman Jr. has some interesting scripts under his belt, he directed Juno, which was rather brilliant, and it sounds like he's a huge fan of the originals and gets what made them work while also having modern sensibilities. His co-writer Gil Kenan doesn't seem to have any previous writing credits, but he directed Monster House and the Poltergeist remake, so he has some form with spooky visuals. It could be something really special. I just hope it actually happens.