[Chicken, He Clucked]

The problem with the new comics is they were completely inferior to the IDW run in both art and writing. I get Ghost Corp wanting to bring everything in-house and under control. But if you're 'protecting' the IP from creators who helped sustain it like Straczynski or Schoening/Burnham then what is it you're actually protecting?

[Rookie99]

I'd have liked something along the lines of Lower Decks tbh to fill that void in my life, but we'll see soon enough.

Heck, get the same core voice cast back, they've already got great chemistry from the clips I've seen.

[Davideverona]

Can we say that Ghostbusters is officially not dormant anymore?

[Broccoli]

The problem with the new comics is they were completely inferior to the IDW run in both art and writing. I get Ghost Corp wanting to bring everything in-house and under control. But if you're 'protecting' the IP from creators who helped sustain it like Straczynski or Schoening/Burnham then what is it you're actually protecting?

GB comics are in a strange place. During the IDW days, there was no indication that any official release was going back to the original Ghostbusters movie. GB3 was dead and Sony was prepping for the reboot to be the main face of the franchise.

Because of that, the comics were allowed to go all out and push their stories in new directions. They didn't have to worry about it conflicting with any upcoming movie, so the end of each story didn't have to go back to the status quo.

Now, that the franchise has returned to the original series of movies and is looking to continue for the time being, any tie-in doesn't have the freedom of storytelling they way IDW did. Everything needs to back in the box as to not conflict with anything coming up. Have the characters do things, but keep them in stasis.

Star Trek comics suffered from this tremendously during the 90s.

Even if the comic license stayed with IDW, it would likely be facing the same thing.

[yourbigpalal83]

Ok so its only 3:30 PM On Ghostbusters Day 2026, (June 6, 2026) but i got to say, everything announced so far is meh. The New Animated show Night Shift, we got a name and a logo. Im netural on it. I dont have enough to feel one way or another. Once i see a trailer then i can actually feel something on it, but as of now..meh. The Mondo announcement of the Citizen ghosts, i was like, ok, maybe a pass, they are cool, but idk if its worth what ever the price when they are shipping those, but i found out later they come with non ghost headsculpts and hands, that makes me more curious about picking them up.

The Ecto Chopper being a SDCC Exclusive, meh. Im not going, but if its online and i can get one, great, if not...ok.

But as far as i know theirs nothing else going on. No news of a new Haslab Campaign, no new kenner classic figures so far, (Or the rerelease of a firehouse. Ugh). Certainly no news of a new movie.
It feels like...so far....the bare minimum.

Like, its the 40th anniversary of The Real Ghostbusters, you'd think Hasbro would have a major push for new classic figures just for that alone. But then again, maybe at Comic Con too. Idk.

As of right now, meh is what im feeling. Lets see what happens before the end of the day

[Kingpin]

Can we say that Ghostbusters is officially not dormant anymore?

Yes.
Yes we can.

The Ecto Chopper being a SDCC Exclusive, meh. Im not going, but if its online and i can get one, great, if not...ok.

Haven't most of Hasbro Ecto-Glow line that started out as SDCC exclusives eventually had batches appear on the HasbroPulse website?

[yourbigpalal83]

Im still confused by all of that. If its an exclusive, then that means, we sell them here or not at all. Thats the meaning of the word EXCLUSIVE! I think its great they sell the surplus stock...dont get me wrong, but it puts this unfair pressure on people to buy the item ONLY at comic con which alot of people cant attend due to travel, finances, at home obligations and responsabilities. So maybe its an OCD thing with me, but saying its a comic con exclusive then saying "Oh you can buy them here afterwards" is a bit FOMO. Say "First Shot/ First Sale" or something. Yes i know im nitpicking but...

Also, this isnt a new announcment. This was hinted at at year ago. Wheres the new stuff...Wheres them saying "Oh you want the power pack set or the slimed heros" or what ever...great...the 40th anniversary year would be the perfect time to continue the kenner classic re release line. What are we getting? A Ecto Glow chopper with a louis figure thats an "Exclusive" unless we have stock left over.

What about another hasbro campaign? every single one of the ghostbusters ones have been beyond sucessful. They all were made into production. In fact, the Spengler pack was so sucessful they released the 84 pack to the public as a watered down version of the spengler pack. Ive never seen them do that before. So that tells me their is a demand for more haslab campaigns.

Are we still getting one? We dident get one last year. We got what we ordered a year before! different thing entirely.

[Kingpin]

Wheres them saying "Oh you want the power pack set or the slimed heros" or what ever...great...the 40th anniversary year would be the perfect time to continue the kenner classic re release line.

I know I sorta said this at the time the Ecto-Glow line was revealed, but... Is there really the demand to justify a re-release of the Power Pack or Slimed Heroes figures?

I know, I know, the success of the Ecto-Glow line is proof that even the niche gimmick lines that Kenner developed have a lot of appeal and can be financially successful, but to be honest... Instead of retreading the many different successive waves of Ghostbusters figures that Kenner made throughout the '90s, I'd like to see the Kenner Classics produce figures Kenner could've done, but didn't, like Kenner figures of Gozer, Vigo, various classic villains from the show (though I know that would be tricky with Mondo currently having permission to do the classic villains).

[GuyX]

Whoever is in charge of Ghostbusters is an idiot. A fool. When did Afterlife come out?

Studio Exec 1
“Hey I know! We capitalize on any surge in popularity and get a cartoon out about when Afterlife is hitting home video or a bit after. Then we can ride that wave into the sequel film as kids discover the cartoon!”

Studio Exec 2
“No. No. What we need to do is announce a cartoon, something like, oh I don’t know how about… “Ecto Force”? Then we cancel it. Bam! Kill it dead. Only NOW we make a 4th film that’s really the 3rd film and we wait, oh, I don’t know, 6 years? Yeah. 6 years. We wait 6 years to make an animated show. Meanwhile we make a 5th film that’s really the 4th. I mean come on am I a genius or am I a genius?”

[yourbigpalal83]

I dont think they are idiots. I think their is a lot of moving parts and if im being totally fair, Ghostbusters is never going to be as big today as it was in the 80s. I HATE to say it, but Ghostbusters is only still even around because of brand Name recognition thats a big part of the retro love of the 80s! Lets be brutally honest here, Once Ninja Turtles came out, Ghostbusters dipped in popularity and the lack of a 3rd film in the 90s HURT the franchise BADLY. Instead of a new movie when the entire cast was alive and healthy, we got one false promises after another, a late 90s revival cartoon show, Then NOTHING beyond releasing the films in what ever new format was avalable, and maybe a few new figures here and their, until 2016 with the reboot, and when that blew up in their face (dont get me started) Sony was atleast smart enough to see the love for the brand was still their, and greenlit afterlife, and when that was a sucess, frozen empire, and now its struggling to figure out what to do next.

Look, i cant say anything about a new animated show that i just know the name and a logo. I dont have enough to judge it on AT ALL I dont even know if we will see a trailer by the end of the year! As far as i know, currently their is no new movie being announced even though they said they are working on one, i know of no video games coming out, and the Merch lineup is drying up.

I dont know if thats idiotic or just those in charge at sony dont know what to really do with the brand. Its not making them Spider-Man money thats for sure. Sony OUTRIGHT OWNS Ghostbusters at this point, unlike Spider-Man where they have a licens deal with marvel they will hold onto long after they have milked that brand for everything they can.

SONY themselves, the studio, is not the greatest studio. They aren't as big as Disney, Warner, Paramount, they dont have multiple IP's like Disney Does (Marvel, Star Wars) or Warner Brothers (DC) or even Paramount (Mission Impossible, Star Trek)... Sony as far as i know, owns Ghostbusters, Men In black, and maybe something else im missing.

At least with ghostbusters we get something, even if its minor. Yes its disapointing some times, they could do so much more, but if your a Die Hard men in black fan, oh god in heaven do i feel bad for you. What are they getting? NOTHING. They havent gotten a movie in 11 years, let alone toys or comics or games or anything.

Sony is a lousy movie studio. Lets face facts here. They Spent most of the early 2000s greenlighting every paid vacation Adam Sandler and his friends wanted to go on, and just happen to film a movie along the way. Once the MCU Got started, Disney stole the spotlight from superhero movies from them and they even thought "We will make our own MCU with 3rd rate MCU Villians no one cares about. I mean honestly, Who the hell wanted to see a Morbius or Kraven the hunter or Maddam Webb movie without spiderman in it?" Think of the level of mismanagement and just cluenessness you have to have to greenlight those! Hell im shocked Venom got 3 stand alone movies without spider-man!

So, im actually shocked Ghostbusters is even alive right now! Lets be totally honest, they could have mothballed the brand after the reboot and said "ya know what, screw you guys". We got 2 more movies and now a future animated TV Show. Its something....is it enough for us die hard fans....not really... they can always do more, but the real question is, do they think its worth doing more?

Thats the real issue here!

[WCat2000]

A cartoon could not be made within Afterlife’s home release. Especially when it got delayed and the pandemic was still around. It was always gonna take a long time. We were just made aware of it very early.

GB as a franchise is in a good place. It’s not constantly “on” like TMNT and other stuff but it’s gotten 2 more movies in the original continuity and now a cartoon to fill in the gaps, to certain extent anyway.

I don’t think they’re struggling to figure out what to do. This was obviously the plan when they announced it in 2022. Ecto Force was clearly a separate project before the movies were worked out.

[Broccoli]

GB as a franchise is in a good place. It’s not constantly “on” like TMNT and other stuff but it’s gotten 2 more movies in the original continuity and now a cartoon to fill in the gaps, to certain extent anyway.

This. 100%

Despite what hard-core fans may want to believe, Ghostbusters isn't that big or strong of a franchise. I know people want more, but what we are getting is on par for a franchise of this size.

Ecto Force was clearly a separate project before the movies were worked out.

Wasn't Ecto Force the cartoon that was being developed in the wake of the 2016 reboot?

[mrmichaelt]

Wasn't Ecto Force the cartoon that was being developed in the wake of the 2016 reboot?

The first time we got a hint of it was April 2016 then it was named in June then shortly after Ivan Reitman was quoted the intent behind it is to keep the Ghostbusters in the public eye between movies but in July 2017, he said at the last second, Ghost Corps put it on hold to really focus on releasing the animated movie first which never happened.

[yourbigpalal83]

Ok im really confused here now. The Animated show is the only project we are getting? Werent we supposed to get both an animated show and movie? Im confused on that front, and is Night Shift going to be a new team or use the classic team back in the 90s or what ever? Im so confused!

Also i forgot about this article here; https://ghostbustersnews.com/2026/05/07 ... this-fall/

So what does celebration mean? More figures..Remasters of the entire series...like ok...if thats the case, will the announce this stuff next month at Comic Con? Like thats the confusing part with this stuff....If its not at ghostbusters day, one can assume not to expect anything more, but this article implies thats not the case.

[Chicken, He Clucked]

There’s a separate animated movie from a ghosts perspective we don’t know much about but is still in the pipeline.

Also to respond to comments above - the timing of these things isn’t “idiotic” it’s logistical. I think they've been doing a reasonably good job with the IP.

The Sony MCU villain movies are just cheap films they put out to secure Spider-man rights without stepping on the golden goose that is Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-man. I would argue they should be using alternative Spider-men in these movies to make some bank - but it’s not idiocy, it’s a considered strategy. The movies themselves are cheap and low effort by design.

[mrmichaelt]

They're trying to focus on one thing at a time. They're not Marvel Studios and going to juggle 20 things at a time.

[jonogunn]

Not sure how I feel about the Netflix announcement. It’s like there’s finally progress but at the same time not really?

[mrmichaelt]

Not sure how I feel about the Netflix announcement. It’s like there’s finally progress but at the same time not really?

Promotion is not what it used to be like and streamers are fine with being overly secretive and revealing things in slow prolonged drips then suddenly a big push close to the premiere of their titles. So it's perfectly natural to feel like we're not advancing much in terms of what's known.

If you haven't already, I did a breakdown of the timeline of Stranger Things '85's promotion and noticed Night Shift is following a similar track so we do more or less have an idea of what to expect: viewtopic.php?p=5009041#p5009041

We'll know a good deal by year's end, from both summaries of the Netflix panel at Annency at the end of the month and a likely teaser around November so we just have to continue to be patient. Somehow.

[GuyX]

A cartoon could not be made within Afterlife’s home release. Especially when it got delayed and the pandemic was still around. It was always gonna take a long time. We were just made aware of it very early.

GB as a franchise is in a good place. It’s not constantly “on” like TMNT and other stuff but it’s gotten 2 more movies in the original continuity and now a cartoon to fill in the gaps, to certain extent anyway.

I don’t think they’re struggling to figure out what to do. This was obviously the plan when they announced it in 2022. Ecto Force was clearly a separate project before the movies were worked out.

Lol. “A cartoon couldn’t have been made within afterlife’s home release”. Come on now. That’s just silly. You are basing that off what?

If they could do it in 1992 with Batman The Animated Series and Batman Returns, I’m sure they can do it in 2021.

Of course it could have been made. All it requires is doing it. I’m not suggesting it would be easy but of course it could be done. But ok let’s assume you are right, I don’t think you are, but let’s assume. No cartoon tie in with Afterlife.

So…2027? That’s when this show is coming out. 2027. If you get a cartoon out between Afterlife and Frozen Empire, maybe you get some more kids into it. Maybe that turns Frozen Empire into a bit of a bigger hit.

We haven’t had an animated series since 1997! Ghost Corp was launched, in what? 2014? 2015? See I’ve always thought the kids busting ghosts would make a better cartoon than film.

Anywho the point is this is just way too slow. Maybe I’ll adore it and forgive all.

But I think Sony has really undercooked & misunderstood this franchises history in animation. When I was a kid the only way to see new adventures of Ray, Egon, Peter and Winston was the cartoon. And it was awesome. For a lot of us the cartoon is where our love really cemented. The movie was great. But watching these guys every Saturday morning?

Maybe those who weren’t alive didn’t know this but Real Ghostbusters was a legit phenomenon. Akin to Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles. The toys were big ticket items. (In fact the next season of “The Toys that Made Us” will have an episode dedicated to GB)

[Kingpin]

Further to that, DiC and Columbia were able to get The Real Ghostbusters from initial conception to premiering in two (or slightly less) years of the original movie's release. In the 1980s.
Yet in the 2020s, with computerisation, and the benefit of developments and changes in animation production and some areas becoming quicker to produce, I still struggle a little to understand why Night Shift has taken nearly half a decade to gestate.

I think ideally, this show should've been premiering in 2025 at the latest.

[yourbigpalal83]

Yeah i agree with kingpin, i dont get why this is taking that long to make. Its not hand drawn (I'm assuming). Like i dont know why this was the headline of Ghostbusters day. it tells me nothing other then a name and a logo. I have no idea still what this show is even about. Is this a new team, the original team? Where in the timeline does this take place? is it cannon with the movies unlike The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters which are their own things in their own universe parallel to the movies... Like im confused what they were expecting me to feel when they announced the name and the logo.... ok, great...but doesn't tell me anything either. Its still something new that i know nothing about still.

Also whats does celebrating the original show mean? new toys and merch? or just them saying "Yeah we the studio who made the show still like the show 40 years later" in the fall...ok. good for you. How do i as a fan of the show benifit from that. Is their something new i can buy to celebrate the show?

Get what im saying?

[Rookie99]

Maybe the original version of the show got scrapped and they started over at some point?

[Light em Up]

Maybe the original version of the show got scrapped and they started over at some point?

We know the animated film has gone through several different iterations. Something seems to have delayed the series as well, as Tales from '85 was announced around the same time and came out this year. Perhaps they tried to salvage the Ecto Force concept, before moving on to the idea of setting it in the '90s? Unknown, but I wouldn't be surprised if some significant work has been scrapped along the way.

[camdudetenger2018]

from what i red on this forums lol about ghostbusters returning

it looks like the legacy of ghost busters is not dormant anymore

[GuyX]

Further to that, DiC and Columbia were able to get The Real Ghostbusters from initial conception to premiering in two (or slightly less) years of the original movie's release. In the 1980s.
Yet in the 2020s, with computerisation, and the benefit of developments and changes in animation production and some areas becoming quicker to produce, I still struggle a little to understand why Night Shift has taken nearly half a decade to gestate.

I think ideally, this show should've been premiering in 2025 at the latest.

100%

Plus you know when the show comes out it’ll have, what? 10 episodes. Cut to two years later and we get another 10.

Is the animated movie still a thing? Was that canceled?

I duno how I feel about the title. “Real Ghostbusters” is so iconic of a title I guess anything else is bound to feel like a let down. Heck I still think Extreme Ghostbusters is kind of a cool title albeit hilariously’90s (why not just call it “Ghostbusters TO THE MAX” lol). But “Night Shift”? Maybe I’m being too negative. It’s not bad per se it just doesn’t have that charm. “ghostbusters INC” might be a neat title.

Or go a bit silly and over the top and call it: “The Extremely Real Ghostbusters”. I know they’d never do that and I’m half joking but if they had announced that title I immediately would’ve been on board. A nice wink to the fans, with maybe a hint at continuity with past 2 shows.

People forget how sort of revolutionary Extreme Ghostbusters was. A sequel cartoon series with an internal continuity? Outside the DCAU you NEVER saw that. I guess Beast Wars did that to a degree.

[Broccoli]

Lol. “A cartoon couldn’t have been made within afterlife’s home release”. Come on now. That’s just silly. You are basing that off what?

If they could do it in 1992 with Batman The Animated Series and Batman Returns, I’m sure they can do it in 2021.

Not a great comparison. BTAS was made independently from the Batman movies and production started on that in 1990. That said, Ghostbusters is not Batman and will never be. GB Fans really need to realize that, as a franchise, it isn't that big. It has a dedicated fanbase, but it won't have the same pull a Star Wars or a Batman will.

Keep in mind, that the last three movies from this past decade has made less than the previous one. Only because the budget was lower on AL and FE that those films are considered to have done okay.

So…2027? That’s when this show is coming out. 2027. If you get a cartoon out between Afterlife and Frozen Empire, maybe you get some more kids into it. Maybe that turns Frozen Empire into a bit of a bigger hit.

There is no correlation between an animated series being out and the success of a film. For example, we had the Real Ghostbusters, but GB2 actually earned less than GB1 at the BO and was deemed a financial disappointment by the studio.

[yourbigpalal83]

The reason for that was 2 fold. Ghostbusters 2 came out 5 years after the original. Thats a super long time even then, between a film and its sequel. Usually its every 2-3 years. Also, the summer of 89 was PACKED with Major movies....Batman (June 23, 1989): The cultural phenomenon starring Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader and Jack Nicholson as the Joker.Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (May 24, 1989): The action-adventure hit featuring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.Lethal Weapon 2 (July 7, 1989): The hit buddy-cop sequel starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.Ghostbusters II (June 16, 1989): The spooky, comedic return of the original paranormal investigation team.Beloved Comedies & Family FilmsHoney, I Shrunk the Kids (June 23, 1989): Disney’s surprise hit about an eccentric inventor who accidentally miniaturizes his children.When Harry Met Sally... (July 21, 1989): The iconic romantic comedy starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.Uncle Buck (August 18, 1989): The classic John Candy comedy.Critical & Sci-Fi FavoritesDead Poets Society (June 2, 1989): The inspiring drama starring Robin Williams.The Abyss (August 9, 1989): James Cameron’s visually groundbreaking deep-sea sci-fi thriller.Do the Right Thing (June 30, 1989): Spike Lee’s highly acclaimed and culturally significant drama.

Their was no way Ghostbusters was going to even compete with Batman, leathal weapon, and Indiana Jones! I mean common. Batman was EVERYWHERE...i think tribal people on a undiscovered island in the pacific were waiting to see that one.

Had it come out a year earlier or that christmas it would have dominated! I have no doubts about that what so ever. But sony released it at the worst time possible and that hit its box office BIG TIME!

[WCat2000]

A cartoon could not be made within Afterlife’s home release. Especially when it got delayed and the pandemic was still around. It was always gonna take a long time. We were just made aware of it very early.

GB as a franchise is in a good place. It’s not constantly “on” like TMNT and other stuff but it’s gotten 2 more movies in the original continuity and now a cartoon to fill in the gaps, to certain extent anyway.

I don’t think they’re struggling to figure out what to do. This was obviously the plan when they announced it in 2022. Ecto Force was clearly a separate project before the movies were worked out.

Lol. “A cartoon couldn’t have been made within afterlife’s home release”. Come on now. That’s just silly. You are basing that off what?

If they could do it in 1992 with Batman The Animated Series and Batman Returns, I’m sure they can do it in 2021.

Of course it could have been made. All it requires is doing it. I’m not suggesting it would be easy but of course it could be done. But ok let’s assume you are right, I don’t think you are, but let’s assume. No cartoon tie in with Afterlife.

So…2027? That’s when this show is coming out. 2027. If you get a cartoon out between Afterlife and Frozen Empire, maybe you get some more kids into it. Maybe that turns Frozen Empire into a bit of a bigger hit.

We haven’t had an animated series since 1997! Ghost Corp was launched, in what? 2014? 2015? See I’ve always thought the kids busting ghosts would make a better cartoon than film.

Anywho the point is this is just way too slow. Maybe I’ll adore it and forgive all.

But I think Sony has really undercooked & misunderstood this franchises history in animation. When I was a kid the only way to see new adventures of Ray, Egon, Peter and Winston was the cartoon. And it was awesome. For a lot of us the cartoon is where our love really cemented. The movie was great. But watching these guys every Saturday morning?

Maybe those who weren’t alive didn’t know this but Real Ghostbusters was a legit phenomenon. Akin to Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles. The toys were big ticket items. (In fact the next season of “The Toys that Made Us” will have an episode dedicated to GB)

Ok yes it would have been possible to get a new cartoon out sooner than 2027 but as mrmichaelt pointed out streamers take a long time to reveal things. That’s a Netflix thing...not Ghost Corp.

Still going to disagree they could have gotten it out for post-Afterlife. That was clearly meant to stand on its own because it was finally Part 3. Plus like I mentioned the pandemic. They were not going to rush a cartoon into production given the circumstances and delays.

I don’t know how old you think I am. I’m 41. I’ve said I was born in 1984. I know how popular RGB and TMNT was at the time.

[mrmichaelt]

Is the animated movie still a thing? Was that canceled?

As far as we know, it's still in development at Netflix as well.

[Broccoli]

The reason for that was 2 fold. Ghostbusters 2 came out 5 years after the original. Thats a super long time even then, between a film and its sequel. Usually its every 2-3 years. Also, the summer of 89 was PACKED with Major movies....Batman (June 23, 1989): The cultural phenomenon starring Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader and Jack Nicholson as the Joker.Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (May 24, 1989): The action-adventure hit featuring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.Lethal Weapon 2 (July 7, 1989): The hit buddy-cop sequel starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.Ghostbusters II (June 16, 1989): The spooky, comedic return of the original paranormal investigation team.Beloved Comedies & Family FilmsHoney, I Shrunk the Kids (June 23, 1989): Disney’s surprise hit about an eccentric inventor who accidentally miniaturizes his children.When Harry Met Sally... (July 21, 1989): The iconic romantic comedy starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.Uncle Buck (August 18, 1989): The classic John Candy comedy.Critical & Sci-Fi FavoritesDead Poets Society (June 2, 1989): The inspiring drama starring Robin Williams.The Abyss (August 9, 1989): James Cameron’s visually groundbreaking deep-sea sci-fi thriller.Do the Right Thing (June 30, 1989): Spike Lee’s highly acclaimed and culturally significant drama.

Their was no way Ghostbusters was going to even compete with Batman, leathal weapon, and Indiana Jones! I mean common. Batman was EVERYWHERE...i think tribal people on a undiscovered island in the pacific were waiting to see that one.

Had it come out a year earlier or that christmas it would have dominated! I have no doubts about that what so ever. But sony released it at the worst time possible and that hit its box office BIG TIME!

It was a packed summer, but that doesn't negate my point that the release of an animated series has no impact on the box office of a theatrical release.

Also, for what it is worth, Columbia released GB 1 and GB2. Sony didn't buy Columbia until late 1989 and was not involved in the original movies. Prior to that Columbia was owned by the Coca-Cola Company, which is why you see a lot of Coke product placement in the original GB movies and surrounding marketing.