No, Jason Reitman Did Not Tease A 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' Sequel
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is slated to be the first proper Ghostbusters sequel in over 30 years when it arrives in theaters in March of 2021. Jason Reitman is taking over directing duties on the franchise from his father Ivan Reitman, and after the filmmaker made an appearance on the Ghostbusters reunion episode of Josh Gad's web series Reunited Apart, a quote from him on the show is being misrepresented around the internet as a tease for yet another sequel to follow Ghostbusters: Afterlife. But that's not the case.
We've cued up the moment in question from Ghostbusters Reunited Apart for you to see for yourself below:
When reading the quote in text form, Jason Reitman's wording may seem like he's confirming work on a sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but it's Josh Gad's phrasing of the lead-in that provides the proper context, especially when you watch the moment in the video above.
Josh Gad says, "So far on Reunited Apart, every movie we've done has had no further installments. But you guys have been working on a little sequel. Can you tell us anything, and if so, what can you tell us?"
This is where Jason Reitman responds, "Yeah, no, I can't tell you anything, but we are working on another installment."
Reitman isn't saying that they're working on another sequel, but he's referring to Ghostbusters: Afterlife as "another installment." It's akin to him saying "I can't tell you anything other than the fact that Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a Ghostbusters sequel."
Ever since Ghostbusters: Afterlife was announced out of nowhere, Jason Reitman has kept most details about the movie under tight wraps. So he's clearly not going to announce a sequel this far in advance of the movie's release. Plus, Reitman was so reluctant to step up in place of his father for a Ghostbusters movie that he's not going to nonchalantly announce another sequel like this.
As with most franchises, Sony Pictures will likely be waiting to see how Ghostbusters: Afterlife does at the box office before they greenlight a sequel, especially after Ghostbusters: Answer the Call was meant to kick off a new franchise and didn't rake in enough money for the studio to justify a follow-up. Ghostbusters isn't like the Spider-Man franchise, so for now, just know that Ghostbusters: Afterlife will arrive in theaters on March 5, 2021, and we'll see what happens after that.