How The 'Ghostbusters' Reboot Universe Can And Should Still Connect To The Original

If you've already moved on from the Ghostbusters reboot from this past summer, that's totally fine. If you didn't like the movie, I don't blame you. Paul Feig's attempt at a new Ghostbusters didn't live up to what I was hoping to see from the movie. Honestly, I didn't think it was downright terrible, but I thought it lost itself in the shuffle of trying to be a tentpole blockbuster when it should have stayed more true to the first half of the movie.

Beyond that, I actually liked the new team made up of Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, and it's a shame that we'll never get to see them alongside the original Ghostbusters team of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson. However, that doesn't mean that the two universes, as separate as they are, can't be tied to each other. In fact, I think that the new Ghostbusters universe can easily and feasibly be tied to the original movie without upsetting anything about the mythology.

Find out how a Ghostbusters reboot connection to the original movie is still very much possible after the jump.

This is something I've thought about for a little while, but the catalyst for making a call for this to happen was something Ivan Reitman said while promoting the upcoming Ghostbusters crossover comic. The original Ghostbusters director and reboot producer said this in a promotional statement:

"I've always wanted to meld the two worlds. It would be great fun to see them all together for the first time and I think it's important for the future that we bring it back into a single universe."

That last sentence is what intrigued me the most. Reitman thinks it's important for the future that Ghostbusters becomes a single universe. Is that some kind of a hint that a future Ghostbusters sequel would connect to the original universe? If so, there's a way to make it happen that would resolve one of my big problems with the Ghostbusters reboot while also keeping the mythology of the original movie intact.

There are a few scenes that play out during the credits of the Ghostbusters reboot. One of them involves Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) showing Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) and Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) a new ghost trap. She explains to her counterparts what the device is, but she's still figuring out how it works:

"It captures ghosts, and it transports them somewhere else. I don't know where but I have a feeling it's Michigan."

It's more of a joke than anything, but I think that this detail can be used to effectively tie the Ghostbusters reboot universe into the original universe. In addition to this ghost trap, there's also a containment unit that's discussed in another credits scene that features a cameo from Sigourney Weaver as Holtzmann's mentor. It's joked about that it's a little unstable.

Well, what if Holtzmann doesn't truly understand how the new ghost trap and the containment unit work to trap ghosts? What if instead of going somewhere like Michigan, the traps and containment unit somehow defy physics and actually send the ghosts to a parallel universe at a different time? Maybe that point in time could be New York City back in 1984.

If that's the case, then that would give an explanation as to why there's a sudden surge in paranormal activity in New York City in the original Ghostbusters. After all, in the original movie, there's no reason that ghosts are starting to come out of the woodwork, or why Gozer suddenly comes to New York City, other than the architecture of that building having a history with the worshiping of the Sumerian god.

Personally, I think would be interesting if the reason for this rise in paranormal activity in NYC came from the new Ghostbusters accidentally sending the ghosts to a parallel dimension. After all, we already got a hint that Zuul, one of the minions of Gozer, would be part of a possible sequel in the post-credits scene:

This connection of parallel universes would explain why there are so many similarities between the new Ghostbusters and the old Ghostbusters. It would explain why the original stars like Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts all exists in the reboot universe, but aren't the same people they are in the original Ghostbusters universe. It would also explain why Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man exist in both universes beyond just fan service, which was a major problem that longtime fans had with the movie.

We know we're never going to get a movie where the old Ghostbusters meet the new Ghostbusters, unless Sony decides they want to mess with that technology they used to bring Peter Cushing back from the dead as Grand Moff Tarkin for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. But I don't see that happening. Therefore, I think this is the best way for the old and new Ghostbusters universes to be connected.

What do you think about this? Sound off below!