Actor Dan Aykroyd has written a script for a Ghostbusters prequel that would feature the team during their high school years in 1969. Fans of the original Ghostbusters movies shouldn’t get too excited just yet, however, as the only confirmed upcoming Ghostbusters film is the soon-to-be sequel directed by Jason Reitman, son of original director Ivan Reitman. Reitman’s Ghostbusterssequel was confirmed at the start of the year and will be set in the original Ghostbusters universe rather than the rebooted one. The film will star a teenaged cast including Finn Wolfhard of Stranger Things fame and is set to start filming in Canada next month.
The news of Reitman’s upcoming sequel didn’t go down to well with the cast and crew of the female-fronted Ghostbusters reboot released in 2016. Star Leslie Jones took to Twitter to call the sequel “insulting” while director Paul Feig voiced his support for Jones and expressed his disappointment that Reitman’s sequel might mean his Ghostbusters reboot would never see a sequel. No doubt Aykroyd’s plans for a Ghostbusters prequel will ruffle their feathers even more.
Given that fan reaction toward Reitman’s new Ghostbusters has been mixed, it’s uncertain whether Aykroyd’s plans for a prequel will be greeted with open arms. Although, Aykroyd’s prequel does have a few things going for it. The popularity of retro-set horror shows and films like Stranger Things and IT could generate interest for a 60s-set prequel. The prequel’s teen focus makes for good continuity with Reitman’s teen-focused Ghostbusters sequel too - if it proves successful, that is. Of course, the real question is whether Aykroyd’s prequel - or Reitman’s sequel, for that matter - can ever live up to the much-loved original Ghostbusters films.
