Despite the slightly disappointing news that the release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife is being pushed back to March 2021, there is plenty to keep keen fans busy until then.
Due to global circumstances, the release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife was delayed from 2020 until early next year. While the situation surrounding the delay is understandable, it has left thousands of excited fans across the world wondering how they can scratch the Ghostbusters itch ahead of the launch of the new film.
The first port of call is gaming. Since the release of the first Ghostbusters in 1984, there have been more than 15 officially licensed titles since across PC, console, online and mobile gaming platforms, so there is plenty to choose from for old and new fans alike.
However, the most exciting is the brand new augmented reality ghost hunting game produced by Sony Pictures and Ferrara Candy named Haunted Candy Hunt, released just in time for Halloween combining trick or treating with the fun of ghostbusting. The application will allow players to use their phones to hunt for famous ghosts from the Ghostbusters franchise while out and about on Halloween with their friends and family. There is even an official Ghostbusters slot available on some authorized New Jersey casinos and a Ghostbusters: The Board Game by Cryptozoic in addition to the original films and animated series that followed them.
The options don’t end there, though, plenty of restaurants will be decking themselves out with a Ghostbusters theme for Halloween for those fans who are so passionate about the franchise even their dining experience needs to be influenced. Believe it or not, you can go and order a Ghostbusters frappuccino at Starbucks from the “secret” menu if you know the right ingredients.
The delay in the release of the movie will also give fans time to adjust to the idea the movie might not be exactly what they were expecting. Many reacted with disappointment after the initial trailer was released because they felt the film would be a step away from what made the originals so popular.
For one thing, it is not set in New York, and the GhostBusters are a group of children rather than middle-aged men, but those involved with the production of the film have moved to allay any fears. Ernie Hudson, a star from the original movies, assured fans that Afterlife would maintain close ties to the source material.
“It’s really in line with what the fans have been hoping for, and it really ties into the first two movies. For me, it was kind of like a spiritual get-together. A movie that had so much impact and meaning in my life, to go back into that was just emotional to me,” he told the Yes Have Some Ghostbusters podcast.
The serious-feeling tone of the trailer also had many concerned because, despite the originals being about hunting ghosts they were comedies at heart and star Finn Wolfhard, of Stranger Things fame, believes the trailer was quite misleading in that regard.
“The trailer only showed some of it, but it’s a Ghostbusters movie. So it’s a really funny film. Every scene has comedy in it. I’m excited for people to see more of the humour in the movie,” he told the Hollywood Reporter.
And, if that isn’t enough to alleviate concerns, the fact the majority of the original cast is returning to reprise their roles in Afterlife definitely is. That includes Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd, Hudson and, of course, Bill Murray.
