'Ghostbusters' 2020 Sequel Confirmed To Bring Back Original Cast Members

Jason Reitman's upcoming Ghostbusters may be introducing a new generation of proton pack-wielding ghost hunters, but the director knows that there will always be a group of actors that audiences are always going to call. At the first-ever Ghostbusters Fan Fest, Reitman cryptically hinted that several of the 1984 film's legacy cast members will be reprising their roles as part of the 2020 Ghostbusters sequel cast.

Rumors have swirled around the stars of the 1984 sci-fi comedy classic, some of whom — most recently Sigourney Weaver — have hinted at their participation in the upcoming 2020 sequel. At the 2019 Ghostbusters Fan Fest, presented by Wizard World, Reitman appeared at a panel to talk about his new movie. /Film got a seat at the panel, where we learned that Weaver, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Bill Murray are all involved in Reitman's upcoming sequel in some capacity. Reitman said:

"Sigourney has read the screenplay...Dan has read it...Ernie's read the script...Bill Murray has read the script."

Weaver had recently confirmed that she would be reprising her role as Dana Barrett, the cellist who finds herself possessed by a demonic entity. Aykroyd, Hudson, and Murray would presumably reprise their roles as the Ghostbusting team Stantz, Zeddemore, and Venkman, although they could possibly play all-new characters, as the three of them did in the 2016 Ghostbusters reimagining.

Reitman explained that he called "all the originals" and people who worked on the original movie to form an "advisory board of people who worked on the original film" to make sure they get Ghostbusters right. "We wanted to make a love letter to the original movie," Reitman said.

As the son of Ivan Reitman, the comedy titan who directed the first Ghostbusters that spawned the beloved franchise that still goes strong today, Reitman was unsurprisingly reluctant to direct a new Ghostbusters. But he was inspired to take on the task when he envisioned the image of a 12-year-old girl with a proton pack.

"This character came to me, and she was a 12-year-old girl. And I don't know who she was or why she popped into my head, but I saw her with a proton pack on her back, and the story began to form in my head...over many years. And it started to grow and all of a sudden, it was a family. And I knew this was a movie I needed to write and I reached out to my writing parter Gil Kenan, and we sat down and started writing this movie."

The sequel has quickly come together since it was suddenly announced a the beginning of the year, with Reitman even shooting a teaser to announce the project. So far Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), Carrie Coon (Gone Girl), and Mckenna Grace (Gifted) have been cast in the movie as new characters, and some of them supposedly have a link to at least one of the original characters somehow.

The untitled Ghostbusters sequel is set for release on July 10, 2020.