[tylergfoster]

Agreed. The pandemic and strikes didn't help get things going. And of course the animation guild could be striking, too, but I haven't kept up on it lately. Hopefully the animation gets a mention on Saturday.

I saw today that there is a animated series tying into TMNT Mutant Mayhem, which came out less than a year ago, providing a great contrast, if an imperfect one.

The thing is, the series was in development before the movie was released based on positive reception by the studio to the movie. I worried before and still worry that the animated Ghostbusters movie or show coming to fruition was dependent on the success of the live-action movie. For all they've said, or anyone involved has said about the status of it, we don't have tangible evidence that the show is a real thing moving toward completion; it's all just talk. If there were a voice cast, and a basic release date (like "2026") then it'd seem more like something that was actually going to happen.

EDIT: the Netflix presentation that seems to have happened just today and is now being reported on is a good sign that the animated series is still going despite the mediocre box office.

[RiverofSlime]

I saw today that there is a animated series tying into TMNT Mutant Mayhem, which came out less than a year ago, providing a great contrast, if an imperfect one.

The thing is, the series was in development before the movie was released based on positive reception by the studio to the movie. I worried before and still worry that the animated Ghostbusters movie or show coming to fruition was dependent on the success of the live-action movie. For all they've said, or anyone involved has said about the status of it, we don't have tangible evidence that the show is a real thing moving toward completion; it's all just talk. If there were a voice cast, and a basic release date (like "2026") then it'd seem more like something that was actually going to happen.

EDIT: the Netflix presentation that seems to have happened just today and is now being reported on is a good sign that the animated series is still going despite the mediocre box office.

This is great news for sure. Feels more concrete.

[mrmichaelt]

I saw today that there is a animated series tying into TMNT Mutant Mayhem, which came out less than a year ago, providing a great contrast, if an imperfect one.

Yeah, it was asked in other threads, will this animated series be directly canon to the movies or will it be it's own continuity like RGB/S/EGB. There are pros and cons to both. But for the sake of this thread's topic, could help expand the world of the movies, focus on certain characters that the movies can't, more details and answers etc.

[RiverofSlime]

I saw today that there is a animated series tying into TMNT Mutant Mayhem, which came out less than a year ago, providing a great contrast, if an imperfect one.

Yeah, it was asked in other threads, will this animated series be directly canon to the movies or will it be it's own continuity like RGB/S/EGB. There are pros and cons to both. But for the sake of this thread's topic, could help expand the world of the movies, focus on certain characters that the movies can't, more details and answers etc.

My preference would be for it to be in the canon of RGB/XGB or completely ambiguous tbh. If it's good, I'm not sure I care where it fits in.

[mrmichaelt]

My preference would be for it to be in the canon of RGB/XGB or completely ambiguous tbh. If it's good, I'm not sure I care where it fits in.

Art style and character design matter for me, too. I don't hate it 100% but after the Back in Town comic's art, I'm a little apprehensive what the cartoon might look like.

[RiverofSlime]

My preference would be for it to be in the canon of RGB/XGB or completely ambiguous tbh. If it's good, I'm not sure I care where it fits in.

Art style and character design matter for me, too. I don't hate it 100% but after the Back in Town comic's art, I'm a little apprehensive what the cartoon might look like.

Yeah, I hear you on that. I'm a big comics fan in general so of course I've been anticipating Back in Town and at first I was really disappointed with the YA-style art but the writing has been so good I'm able to look past it.

Hot take alert: but I wasn't a huge fan of the IDW monthly art either. I really liked the more realistic art of the holiday one-offs, etc that came before the ongoing series.

[mrmichaelt]

Yeah, I hear you on that. I'm a big comics fan in general so of course I've been anticipating Back in Town and at first I was really disappointed with the YA-style art but the writing has been so good I'm able to look past it.

Hot take alert: but I wasn't a huge fan of the IDW monthly art either. I really liked the more realistic art of the holiday one-offs, etc that came before the ongoing series.

Agreed, Booher's got a good bead on the characters.

Yeah, it took me a couple issues to get used to Dan Schoening's design for Peter and Winston in particular. But give him credit, when the fans gripped about his take on the pack - he changed it up and made it more movie accurate looking.

That is true. The artists on the IDW comics either kept to the realisitc gritty style like the Christmas and Valentine's one shot and the Infestation two parter or went to a stylized animated look. no real in between. The whole likeness rights thing is a hard one to understand because in the former, they looked a lot more like the actors and those comics got printed.

But I digress. The future. Animation and comics for for the immediate future.

[RiverofSlime]

Yeah, I hear you on that. I'm a big comics fan in general so of course I've been anticipating Back in Town and at first I was really disappointed with the YA-style art but the writing has been so good I'm able to look past it.

Hot take alert: but I wasn't a huge fan of the IDW monthly art either. I really liked the more realistic art of the holiday one-offs, etc that came before the ongoing series.

Agreed, Booher's got a good bead on the characters.

Yeah, it took me a couple issues to get used to Dan Schoening's design for Peter and Winston in particular. But give him credit, when the fans gripped about his take on the pack - he changed it up and made it more movie accurate looking.

That is true. The artists on the IDW comics either kept to the realisitc gritty style like the Christmas and Valentine's one shot and the Infestation two parter or went to a stylized animated look. no real in between. The whole likeness rights thing is a hard one to understand because in the former, they looked a lot more like the actors and those comics got printed.

But I digress. The future. Animation and comics for for the immediate future.

I agree with all of this for the most part. But yeah, I'm looking forward to animation and hopefully more comics.

[mrmichaelt]

I agree with all of this for the most part. But yeah, I'm looking forward to animation and hopefully more comics.

Yes, it's already been revealed by Booher there will more comics after Back in Town. Maybe a formal announcement at GB Day.

[BatDan]

Was a pretty limp GB Day, we were spoiled last year. Was hoping for some teasers for the new animated series.

Honestly, I look forward to the new cartoon, put the movies on hold. We got our GB3 after all these years, and as a bonus we got a GB4. ‘Time to widen the content with some new animation.

As much as I think theres a few things they missed some opportunities on..overall: FE is a good bookend to the movies. Ends with the OGs as the veteran “bosses” greeting civilians while the Spenglers ride off into the sunset.

[BrianReilly]

I haven't read Back in Town yet, but I like Blue Delliquanti's work (Across a Field of Starlight is a really gorgeous book). I'm not sure they'd be my top pick for Ghostbusters, but I am interested to see what they do with it. At least it's an interesting choice.

There's a large portion of GB fandom in particular that seems to hate any kind of stylization and would rather the comics be made up of obviously traced stills from the movies than anything approaching "art". I'm just not interested in that kind of sterile product.

Given that it's Sony Pictures Animation, and they've been on the cutting edge of the industry lately, I'm hoping the Ghostbusters cartoon will have some of the creativity that the Spider-Verse and Mitchells vs. The Machines films showed.

[RiverofSlime]

I haven't read Back in Town yet, but I like Blue Delliquanti's work (Across a Field of Starlight is a really gorgeous book). I'm not sure they'd be my top pick for Ghostbusters, but I am interested to see what they do with it. At least it's an interesting choice.

There's a large portion of GB fandom in particular that seems to hate any kind of stylization and would rather the comics be made up of obviously traced stills from the movies than anything approaching "art". I'm just not interested in that kind of sterile product.

Given that it's Sony Pictures Animation, and they've been on the cutting edge of the industry lately, I'm hoping the Ghostbusters cartoon will have some of the creativity that the Spider-Verse and Mitchells vs. The Machines films showed.

What I find frustrating time and again is the divergence between cover/promo art and the interior art of a comic book. This is definitely the case with Back in Town, which is superbly written and a great comic but the promo images set up an expectation of a different aesthetic.

For me the high bar is Ilias Kyriazis work on Displaced Aggression back in the day.

[BrianReilly]

I haven't read Back in Town yet, but I like Blue Delliquanti's work (Across a Field of Starlight is a really gorgeous book). I'm not sure they'd be my top pick for Ghostbusters, but I am interested to see what they do with it. At least it's an interesting choice.

There's a large portion of GB fandom in particular that seems to hate any kind of stylization and would rather the comics be made up of obviously traced stills from the movies than anything approaching "art". I'm just not interested in that kind of sterile product.

Given that it's Sony Pictures Animation, and they've been on the cutting edge of the industry lately, I'm hoping the Ghostbusters cartoon will have some of the creativity that the Spider-Verse and Mitchells vs. The Machines films showed.

What I find frustrating time and again is the divergence between cover/promo art and the interior art of a comic book. This is definitely the case with Back in Town, which is superbly written and a great comic but the promo images set up an expectation of a different aesthetic.

For me the high bar is Ilias Kyriazis work on Displaced Aggression back in the day.

I was not a big fan of Displaced Aggression. I think Ilias Kyriazis' art has improved significantly since 2009, and would like to see him tackle GB now.

But really I'd be far more interested in someone like Mike Allred or Jen Bartel taking it on. Someone with a strong distinctive style. And yeah, cover art and interior art is handled by different artists. That's comics.

[RiverofSlime]

What I find frustrating time and again is the divergence between cover/promo art and the interior art of a comic book. This is definitely the case with Back in Town, which is superbly written and a great comic but the promo images set up an expectation of a different aesthetic.

For me the high bar is Ilias Kyriazis work on Displaced Aggression back in the day.

I was not a big fan of Displaced Aggression. I think Ilias Kyriazis' art has improved significantly since 2009, and would like to see him tackle GB now.

But really I'd be far more interested in someone like Mike Allred or Jen Bartel taking it on. Someone with a strong distinctive style. And yeah, cover art and interior art is handled by different artists. That's comics.

I'm not a fan of time travel or alternate realities in general, but Displaced Aggression pushed the GB concept further than I've seen it pushed it anywhere else. Looking at it now, I would say I like the coloring more than the pencils, and in combination with the concept work it's just really enjoyable as GB on Nitro. Similar to XGB.

[Davideverona]

I'm with BatDan on the live action chapter of the franchise.

My hunger has been temporarily satiated so they can let it rest a little.
I hope, for the next movie, they give the new team a more fleshed out arc.
Let's open the movie with Lucky, Trevor, Phoebe and Podcast on a routine bust and let the bigger problem begin earlier in the movie, show its growth and let it explode in the third arc.

Let's have the OGB in a mentoring role at the Firehouse, maybe with Winston as the new major?

[mrmichaelt]

Comments from Gil Kenan, "We definitely are continuing the conversation of telling big Ghostbuster stories on the big screen."

"The answer is yes, Jason [Reitman]... we take the responsibility and the joy of being the keepers of the flame of 'Ghostbusters' very seriously... we definitely are continuing the conversation of telling big 'Ghostbuster' stories on the big screen. And stay tuned. There'll be more. There'll be more about that later."
https://thedirect.com/article/ghostbust ... -exclusive

[BatDan]

Ugh.

If they do it. Put the same quality control into this one they did for Saturday Night.

Frozen Empire seemed like a first draft they rushed into production. So much needed to get refined, blend some scenes and character arcs together.

Bring back Dan as a writer. I think they need a 3rd head in the game. What made the first two work was the 3 man punch of Ivan-Harold-Dan.

[Davideverona]

Agreed.
As much as I wanted more Ghostbusters after Afterlife, I now wish they took their time before churning out a new chapter.

I guess NOW they'll go with a more quiet production. I don't know if, during the SNL works, they had the time to think about Ghostbusters. Then there's the Netflix series.

I'm shooting for a 2027-2028 release date.

[Specter Mitcher]

It's interesting to watch how quickly the tide is turning in terms of even those who'd register on a Ghostbusters fan site, and their perceptions of the last two movies. I knew from the moment they came out that they were medicore-at-best movies churned out for nostalgia bait. I honestly don't think there's much hope for the ship to be turned around, as Ghostbusters has essentially been Star Wars'd. Meaning, they've thrown so much weight on a particular character set and storyline that's nonsensical that it's impossible to pull out of without a fresh start.

What they need to do is:
1) Get rid of, or at least almost completely sideline, the current cast.
2) Abandon in entirety the "school kids save the day" stuff, and return to having some adult scientists with cynical yet dry sense of humor. The last two movies focusing on children and them somehow managing to save the world was by far the most egregious mistake.
3) Somehow tie that new cast into the timeline. Maybe even something as simple as Callie (or whoever actually stills owns it), knowing she shouldn't have her kids wielding neutrona throwers against deadly poltergeists anymore, sells the IP and equipment to another band of misfit PhD's.
4) Refrain from injecting political messaging. Between the 13-year-old girlboss somehow repairing proton packs, to her underage lesbian romance that was (very) awkwardly shoe horned in to the detriment of the vibe and story...I think most moviegoers are exhausted of yet another franchise being used as a vehicle for "The Message".
5) Deliver on a movie as epic as what the marketing material for Frozen Empire promised. The word got out that FE was not the "Ghostbusters vs. Day After Tomorrow" that the marketing suggested, and was instead just another modern, overloaded franchise reboot flick executed with mediocre-at-best acting and storylines. That's why it lost momentum and ultimately flopped. And don't do it with adult actors that spoil a serious vibe like Patton Oswalt.

[Chicken, He Clucked]

Some really terrible critical thinking around FE in the previous posts.

FE is the closest to GBI & II of the recent movies.

The main special sauce that is missing besides the interactions of the OG cast, is that in the original Ghostbusters the humour informed and impacted the supernatural plot and vice versa. FE is more an RGB vibe, where the supernatural is mostly treated seriously and the characters wisecrack. I like that a lot. But the two don’t interact the way they do in GB1. Eg. Slimer pulling Peter down a peg or two, the keymaster riffing on the established relationship between Louis and Dana, Ray generating Stay Puft etc etc

[GuyX]

Have any of u guys been reading the comments on Reddit or Twitter where this news is spreading?

Wow. Lots of “let it die” “not another 1” “is that a threat”?

Saddens me to see this reaction. It seems a lot of ppl r feeling worn out or like the franchise should’ve died after 1990.

I was trying to think why these films aren’t resonating with regular ppl like they are with us fans. When it hit me

There are plenty of good sequels to movies in almost every genre but I’m struggling to think of a comedy sequel that’s celebrated almost as much as the original. Austin Powers maybe? Home Alone 2?

There aren’t many. Comedies have a really hard time. Isn’t that weird? Naked Gun? Awful sequels. Scary Movie? Awful. Airplane? Nope. Meatballs? Ew. Caddyshack? Heck no. Zoolander? Awful. Anchorman 2? No. Hangover 2? Nope.

I guess u could say the national lampoon Chevy Chase movies count but even that beyond Xmas Vacation most haven’t endured.

So there’s something about comedies & sequels that don’t translate like comic book movies or more serialized fair.

Why is that? Any theories?

[philmorgan81]

Well I am really glad to hear that Jason and Gil are still pushing the franchise forward with great enthusiasm. I can understand the fans that may not enjoy the dynamic of the new cast. I think Frozen Empire was a very entertaining movie. I can watch Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, Afterlife and Frozen Empire with a big grin on my face.

Though Frozen Empire may have felt bloated, I think it served a great purpose for the franchises future. The franchise can go anywhere now. For those that are a bit tired of the Spengler Family and friends, with the introduction of the Paranormal Research Center alone there could be a whole bunch of new characters that can show up and have their own Ghostbusting adventures in a future film. The introduction of Nadeem as the Firemaster shows that there could be new Ghostbusting teams that have special supernatural abilities that can fight evil spirits. True that may be a bit X Menish, but the door is open for stories to go in that direction.

Jason and Gil have opened the door so that the franchise will not have to rely on the OG’s or just one new cast to carry the franchise. I would personally love to see more of the OG’s, but I think it is a miracle that we had 2 reunions in Afterlife and Frozen Empire so I am pretty sure Bill Murray is done from here on. If we see him show up in future movies even as just a supporting character I will be pleasantly surprised.

[Kingpin]

1) Get rid of, or at least almost completely sideline, the current cast.

Because that makes complete sense when Sony have spent two movies building up the new characters to receive the torch being passed from the original Ghostbusters.

I appreciate the Spenglers and Phoebe aren't your cup of tea, but this is the cast we have, and after the discontent we witnessed after the 1984 cast were swapped for the reboot cast in 2016, and then the subsequent round of discontent when the 2016 cast were swapped for the Afterlife cast in 2021... I really don't think another cast change will fix anything... It'd just piss off the people who like the Spenglers, Gary, Lucky and Podcast.

2) Abandon in entirety the "school kids save the day" stuff, and return to having some adult scientists with cynical yet dry sense of humor. The last two movies focusing on children and them somehow managing to save the world was by far the most egregious mistake.

See reply to 1). By the time of the next film, Phoebe will probably be 17/18, and thus the whole problem is solved.

3) Somehow tie that new cast into the timeline. Maybe even something as simple as Callie (or whoever actually stills owns it), knowing she shouldn't have her kids wielding neutrona throwers against deadly poltergeists anymore, sells the IP and equipment to another band of misfit PhD's.

Callie can't sell the business, Winston owns it, and it seems his faith in the team is restored by the end of Frozen Empire.

4) Refrain from injecting political messaging.

The first two movies had their anti-establishment narratives, and Afterlife and Frozen Empire were actually far lighter on the "political messaging" than the first two films.

Between the 13-year-old girlboss somehow repairing proton packs

Granddaughter of Egon Spengler and child prodigy, likely like he was at her age.

to her underage lesbian romance that was (very) awkwardly shoe horned in to the detriment of the vibe and story...I think most moviegoers are exhausted of yet another franchise being used as a vehicle for "The Message".

We'll have to agree to disagree on this, I thought the Melody plot point worked well with the fact Phoebe was having to learn some of the more unpleasant lessons of growing into an adult; that people will take advantage of you, even those who seem like a friend. It also allowed us to see more of Phoebe's human side when she wasn't having to focus on busting ghosts.

And LGBTQ+ people existing is not "a message", it's a reflection of bloody reality.

5) Deliver on a movie as epic as what the marketing material for Frozen Empire promised.

It did deliver. The trailers showed New York getting frozen... We saw it getting frozen. It's not the film, Gil, or Jason's fault if people built the movies up in their heads to some MCU or Lord of the Rings-level epic.

And don't do it with adult actors that spoil a serious vibe like Patton Oswalt.

How did he spoil the vibe? He was one of the better parts of the film, showing that there are plenty of other people in New York who believe in the paranormal, as well as providing essential mythos building with Garraka.

The Ghostbusters franchise is steeped in comedy greats from the '80s, and it makes total sense to employ contemporary comedic talent for memorable secondary characters.

[WCat2000]

Well I expected another movie anyway but it’s still nice to hear.

I’ve already given my own ideas but I recently thought of an opening where Phoebe and Podcast catch a ghost at the college Ray, Egon and Peter attended in the first movie. I’ll post it another day cause I didn’t finish writing it out.

Basically an old teacher comes back and possess stuff around the school. I thought that’d be funny considering they were kicked out for not having proof.

[GuyX]

It's interesting to watch how quickly the tide is turning in terms of even those who'd register on a Ghostbusters fan site, and their perceptions of the last two movies. I knew from the moment they came out that they were medicore-at-best movies churned out for nostalgia bait. I honestly don't think there's much hope for the ship to be turned around, as Ghostbusters has essentially been Star Wars'd. Meaning, they've thrown so much weight on a particular character set and storyline that's nonsensical that it's impossible to pull out of without a fresh start.

What they need to do is:
1) Get rid of, or at least almost completely sideline, the current cast.
2) Abandon in entirety the "school kids save the day" stuff, and return to having some adult scientists with cynical yet dry sense of humor. The last two movies focusing on children and them somehow managing to save the world was by far the most egregious mistake.
3) Somehow tie that new cast into the timeline. Maybe even something as simple as Callie (or whoever actually stills owns it), knowing she shouldn't have her kids wielding neutrona throwers against deadly poltergeists anymore, sells the IP and equipment to another band of misfit PhD's.
4) Refrain from injecting political messaging. Between the 13-year-old girlboss somehow repairing proton packs, to her underage lesbian romance that was (very) awkwardly shoe horned in to the detriment of the vibe and story...I think most moviegoers are exhausted of yet another franchise being used as a vehicle for "The Message".
5) Deliver on a movie as epic as what the marketing material for Frozen Empire promised. The word got out that FE was not the "Ghostbusters vs. Day After Tomorrow" that the marketing suggested, and was instead just another modern, overloaded franchise reboot flick executed with mediocre-at-best acting and storylines. That's why it lost momentum and ultimately flopped. And don't do it with adult actors that spoil a serious vibe like Patton Oswalt.

U were doing so well. Then u got to politics & u stopped making sense. “Girl boss”. U mean a competent female? Is Peter Parker a “boy boss” or bcuz he has a dick it’s ok for him to be super smart & good at what he does without u questioning it? lol

This is Ghostbusters. They made fun of the EPA. & the mayor. The original 3rd movie ended up with a Donald Trump like devil for a villain. So basically just Donald Trump(they didn’t realize how close they were to the truth when it was written in 1999). i’m guessing you’d be ok with them inserting politics into the movie if it was ur politics right?

Also why are u ok with ghost blowjobs and boys kissing girls? But express bigotry when there’s two girls kissing?

& what’s “The Message”? Is it that it’s ok to luv whoever u want & not to be ashamed of who u are & let’s accept each other for who we are? Cause that’s a damn fine message.

I do agree that they should @ least consider starting over. Sony has tried this way and it isn’t working financially. Franchises are built into the core idea. Time to open up that avenue & see where it takes us.

I also agree that the movie marketed was not the movie we got. It seemed like a more action packed event film. Ghost armies, Garraka wreaking havoc on the city. The final show down is in the garage?

[Kingpin]

I could maybe understand the disappointment in the absence of a ghost army if there'd been something like this in the trailer:



But there weren't any visuals of legions and legions of ghosts, just the stream of them escaping the Containment Unit in a uncontrolled/unregimented geyser... Had Garraka been able to organise his army then he would've been unstoppable. Like in the first two movies, the Ghostbusters succeeded because the dice rolled in their favour... Despite their terrible odds.

Still, should we get "Ghostbusters 5", and I hope we do, I hope Gil and Jason build on the lessons they've learned, and use their experience to avoid some of the more substantive (genuine) complaints that have been made about their Ghostbusters films.

[mrmichaelt]

The box office/audience has had interesting reactions to franchises lately. Just look at Warner Bros, this year one they've had the highest of highs with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice but in few short months later, the biggest bomb in history with the Joker sequel.

There's a lot of pros and cons to sticking to the formula of 'adult scientists'. Sure it worked in spades with the '84 cast but we saw how polarizing the 2016 movie was. The latter is a whole discussion on it's own. On the other hand, for a franchise to survive - it has to grow and expand beyond its premise. I love the creation of the PRC, there's a lot of good potential with that. In a way, they fill the gap of inexperience the current team has (i.e. Egon, Ray, and Peter were all doctors researching the field when they founded the business). One aspect they will have to address is to quit going back to the well with an apocalypse event. The danger of an apocalypse gets watered down when done over and over. RGB really succeeded in telling case of the week, non-end-of-the-world stories that were just as compelling like the Boogieman or the Grundel. The movies should tap into that.

In addition, the notion of franchises has been something we've waited for since Peter's pitch after the bank scene. We've seen it sparingly for the past 40 years, the biggest feature being a Chicago franchise in the IDW comics but we've also seen the creation of multiple teams at the NY base though in most cases this was only done in video games and yes, a passing the torch story like with Extreme Ghostbusters and now the current movies.

It was surprising the animated movie wasn't mentioned. Surely that would be the next movie on the docket.

[GuyX]

I could maybe understand the disappointment in the absence of a ghost army if there'd been something like this in the trailer:



But there weren't any visuals of legions and legions of ghosts, just the stream of them escaping the Containment Unit in a uncontrolled/unregimented geyser... Had Garraka been able to organise his army then he would've been unstoppable. Like in the first two movies, the Ghostbusters succeeded because the dice rolled in their favour... Despite their terrible odds.

That’s a fair point & id guess I’d have to say It’s less the visuals in the trailer than the overall tone of them mixed with the dialogue.

Garraka seemed like a really badass presence & that the GB’s would be in a major battle for the city. I duno if that movie would’ve been any better but the trailer felt like an action packed thrill ride & the movie wasn’t really that @ all.

I know when I saw Afterlife I was expecting pretty much what I got & loved it. Not really big action just a cool story with new characters.

This time they amped things up marketing wise & id almost hazard a guess to say there’s less action than in Afterlife(but don’t quote me on that )

[Specter Mitcher]

Because that makes complete sense when Sony have spent two movies building up the new characters to receive the torch being passed from the original Ghostbusters.

And your point is...? The last two movies having a nonsensical "Spy Kids" element to it is a major reason why audiences are not rewatching Afterlife, and let FE bomb at the box office. Stare decisis is hardly a compelling argument for rolling with bad storyline decisions.

I appreciate the Spenglers and Phoebe aren't your cup of tea, but this is the cast we have, and after the discontent we witnessed after the 1984 cast were swapped for the reboot cast in 2016, and then the subsequent round of discontent when the 2016 cast were swapped for the Afterlife cast in 2021... I really don't think another cast change will fix anything... It'd just piss off the people who like the Spenglers, Gary, Lucky and Podcast.

I think it's common knowledge that problem with 2016 wasn't the cast. But rather, Paul Feig and literally every decision he, the writers, and producers made. The problems with Afterlife and FE weren't the OG cast being swapped out, but rather, the poor storyline decisions I outlined in my last post. Keep in mind that any franchise must survive off the interest level of general audiences, not solely that of super fans' like those registered on a site like this. The former is far less forgiving, and a movie will need to capture their imagination anyway in order to be objectively good. That is something ATC, Afterlife, and FE failed to do.

See reply to 1). By the time of the next film, Phoebe will probably be 17/18, and thus the whole problem is solved.

Is it really "solved" though...? At that age, she should be a high school senior. A college freshman at the most. The 1984 cast were already late 20's or 30-something PhD's. At least we can both agree it was a problem having children as the main characters.

Callie can't sell the business, Winston owns it, and it seems his faith in the team is restored by the end of Frozen Empire.

Point was whoever owns what sells it off. Arguably, Callie owns the equipment her grandfather took with him and left at the farm. Except maybe the Ecto-1 which is a titled asset. Not really that important of a distinction anyway.

The first two movies had their anti-establishment narratives, and Afterlife and Frozen Empire were actually far lighter on the "political messaging" than the first two films.

I don't know how any honest person could argue this, but agree to disagree. Even if that was the case, the latter two films certainly don't do a good job of doing that without detracting from the film.

Granddaughter of Egon Spengler and child prodigy, likely like he was at her age.

This isn't a persuasive argument at all. Regardless of how talented a 13 year old is, this is on the level of Rey being able to use Jedi mind tricks without so much as talking to a Jedi knight before. It's the same eye roll inducing girlboss nonsense that makes me yearn for the days of Aliens when writers didn't treat female protagonists as a vehicle for overt political messaging.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this, I thought the Melody plot point worked well with the fact Phoebe was having to learn some of the more unpleasant lessons of growing into an adult; that people will take advantage of you, even those who seem like a friend. It also allowed us to see more of Phoebe's human side when she wasn't having to focus on busting ghosts.

Ghostbusters acting as a franchise to tell a "coming of age" story is a non-starter for me.

And LGBTQ+ people existing is not "a message", it's a reflection of bloody reality.

Being gay or lesbian frankly isn't an interesting story to tell anymore, because no one cares in this day and age. Everyone is fully aware that it's a thing that exists. It was the fact the writers clearly made it a point to shove this underage love affair awkwardly to the forefront as another part of conveying The Message instead of giving us the bad ass GB vs. Day After Tomorrow story we were tacitly promised (and hoping for).

It did deliver. The trailers showed New York getting frozen... We saw it getting frozen. It's not the film, Gil, or Jason's fault if people built the movies up in their heads to some MCU or Lord of the Rings-level epic.

No offense, but the phrase that comes to mind here is "Stockholm Syndrome". It is very much the producers' fault for not delivering on a quality product. Placing the blame on the audience for finding it lackluster is one of the primary things going on with Hollywood today that's pissing audiences off.

How did he spoil the vibe? He was one of the better parts of the film, showing that there are plenty of other people in New York who believe in the paranormal, as well as providing essential mythos building with Garraka.

Patton Oswalt is one of those actors that just doesn't have a serious bone in his body. He's good in roles that require silly/slapstick cynical vibes at nearly all times. It just doesn't mesh well with a franchise that revolves around serious paranormal threats to life and limb.

The Ghostbusters franchise is steeped in comedy greats from the '80s, and it makes total sense to employ contemporary comedic talent for memorable secondary characters.

And your point here is....? They should pick the right cast. Just because someone is funny doesn't mean they belong in a movie where some dry humor is employed now and again.

[GuyX]

This isn't a persuasive argument at all. Regardless of how talented a 13 year old is, this is on the level of Rey being able to use Jedi mind tricks without so much as talking to a Jedi knight before. It's the same eye roll inducing girlboss nonsense that makes me yearn for the days of Aliens when writers didn't treat female protagonists as a vehicle for overt political messaging.

Why r u so obsessed with this “girl boss” thing? So bcuz Phoebe is an extremely smart girl it’s political messaging? What? Explain that. Plz.

This is the sort of BS film analysis those idiotic Youtubers have conned ppl into believing. Youtubers like Critical Drinker and Nerdrotic.

Ur spewing that same garbage.

A girl can do something and doesn’t need to be taught by a man—“AAAAHH WOKE”.

There is no political message in Phoebe. What’s interesting is u wouldn’t question or care about if she was a dude. But bcuz it’s a girl? Why?

Ghostbusters acting as a franchise to tell a "coming of age" story is a non-starter for me.

So u dislike the movie b4 you’ve even seen it. U aren’t giving it a fair shake. There’s more happening in these movies than that.

Being gay or lesbian frankly isn't an interesting story to tell anymore, because no one cares in this day and age. Everyone is fully aware that it's a thing that exists. It was the fact the writers clearly made it a point to shove this underage love affair awkwardly to the forefront as another part of conveying The Message instead of giving us the bad ass GB vs. Day After Tomorrow story we were tacitly promised (and hoping for).

See that’s ur problem. Right there. Here’s where u show ur cards. Ur right that no 1 cares about a same sex story. Most ppl just view it as a LOVE STORY. U wouldn’t give a shit if it was a boy she was interested in instead of a girl. So why does it matter if it’s a girl? I didn’t like the melody portion of the movie either but it had nothing to do with gay or lesbian. & the movie barely focuses on that @ all. It’s just 2 girls becoming friends.

Patton Oswalt is one of those actors that just doesn't have a serious bone in his body. He's good in roles that require silly/slapstick cynical vibes at nearly all times. It just doesn't mesh well with a franchise that revolves around serious paranormal threats to life and limb.

ahh yes I remember that Rick Moranis actor. Known for his serious dramatic thespian acting. Dude. If u don’t like Patton Oswalt ok. But don’t give some random excuse that doesn’t jive with reality.


U talk about Stockholm syndrome but the only 1 that seems to be exhibiting that behavior is u! Ur parroting these alt right or right wing talking points of the “Anti Woke Brigade”. Those brain dead YouTubers who think everything made when they were children is awesome but everything new is woke. They use terms like “forced diversity” “girl boss”. They love Ripley from Aliens. Or Sarah Connor from T2. Why? Bcuz they r heroic characters that express little to no femininity beyond the basic parental instinct.

I guarantee u if Phoebe was a boy almost like a Sheldon from that Big Bang theory spinoff series level of smart, u wouldn’t care. But bcuz she doesn’t have a penis suddenly her smarts and her attitude r a problem?

I also guarantee it has something to do with ur age. I imagine ur 30+ years old. U grew with with Ripley and Sarah Conner so bcuz u have that association from childhood, they=good

But Phoebe=bad bcuz…she’s a girl boss? lol. Ridiculous.