GHOSTBUSTERS THEN AND NOW

What’s back, what’s new, what’s shakin’? Get all the slime, er, scoop on the new sequel to your favorite ghost story.

After decades of anticipation and one pandemic-induced delay, Ghostbusters: Afterlife (in theaters Nov. £oe) is finally here. 9es, the proton packs, ghost traps and cool Ecto-1 ghostmobile are back! Unlike the all-female edition from 2016, this is a direct sequel to the iconic 1984 comedy Ghostbusters, in which three paranormal scientists—played by Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Bill Murray—banded together to stop slime-spewing spirits from taking over New 9ork City. It features many of the old cast, including Aykroyd (the original’s co-writer), Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson (the fourth Ghostbuster, non-scientist Winston Zeddemore) an` Ƃnnie *otts. /he film is `irecte` and co-written by Jason Reitman. His father, Ivan, helme` the original Ghostbusters and serves as a producer here.

Afterlife pays homage to Ramis (Ghostbuster Egon Spengler), who died in 2014. Spengler’s progeny—a daughter played by Carrie Coon and her two children (Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard)—move into a dilapidated farmhouse bequeathed to them by the late Egon. Soon strange things, including earthquakes, start happening in their new small town of Somerville, Okla., and the curious kids must unearth Grandpa Egon’s past.

Joining them is Paul Rudd, playing teacher and budding seismologist Mr. Grooberson. Rudd, 52, grew up watching Saturday Night Live and was thrille` to work with Ƃykroy`, whom he calls come`y royalty. ºI got the script an` of course I ha` to `o it,» he says. ºI½m still pinching myself. -ketches like ‘The Bass-o-matic’ and ‘The Bag o’ Glass’ live on in our subconscious, and then you think of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and the dramatic work he did in [1989’s] Driving Miss Daisy. /he guy can `o it allt»

That guy who can do it all didn’t think the original Ghostbusters would be a smash. Aykroyd, 69, recalls that halfway through production, Murray (who took the role of Peter Venkman after John Belushi died in 1982) stopped by for lunch and gave an inkling of what may be in store. “We’re eating sandwiches illy says to me, ¼9ou know that you½ve written what might be one