Dan Akroyd made some highly insightful comments about the future of Ghostbusters as a franchise and Ghostbusters 6
. Akroyd is a legendary comedy actor with over 100 credits to his name since 1974. However, while Akroyd’s career took off in 1984 thanks to the success and popularity of Ghostbustersthe series moved forward decades later. Or at least trying to move on.
However, each of the Ghostbusters sequels released since 2016 feature members of the original team in supporting or cameo roles. For the 2016 reboot, this was strange, as the actors played different characters with no real mention of their previous connection. But in both Ghostbusters: Afterlifeand Ghostbusters: Frozen Empirethe actors returned to play essential but supporting roles. However, Akroyd highlighted that the Ghostbusters franchise really needs take the next steps without the original Ghostbustersespecially after the disappointing performance of Frozen Empire.
Dan Aykroyd is right: Ghostbusters needs to move on from the original characters
It’s time for Ghostbusters to move on
The question is, Nostalgia only takes one movie so far. And as soon as the iconic characters return, all the emotion accumulated in the time of intercession evaporates. This becomes clear when looking at the diminishing returns of films’ box office numbers (via The Numbers). While 2016 Ghostbusters suffered campaigns, backlash and protests before its release, the film still managed to take home US$25 million more than any of the sequel films.
I don’t see that coming. I don’t see where they would need us to continue. They have a brand new cast and brand new ideas. I think they will probably advance beyond the originals, which they should. -Dan Akroyd
And despite a more enthusiastic response to the later sequels, the films feel stuck in the past. Ghostbusters: Afterlife cleverly linked the original films to the sequels, but Frozen Empire It felt like he was clinging to the past. To give the new team a chance to shine properlythey need to take center stage and avoid sharing the spotlight with the original team, who truly deserved their retirement.
Ghostbusters has struggled to replace the original team, but still manages to do it
Replacement teams have not yet worked
The 2016 Ghostbusters reboot made an effort to replace the original crew with an all-female cast, which wasn’t inherently negative, but there was considerable backlash that ensured the film would not be successful. The cast was funny and the film had a decent premise, but it failed to gain traction. However, when the series attempted to change course and revive the original plot decades later, couldn’t abandon the original cast.
Life after death sees Egon Spengler’s daughter and grandchildren take up the mantle as they come face to face with ghosts. The film does a great job of connecting these two eras, but it didn’t fully embrace the transition to the new team. As a result, Frozen Empire ends up using the original team even moreand it appears that Paul Rudd and the rest of the new team have not been given the confidence to take the series forward. However, Ghostbusters 6 There’s still a chance to move the story forward and follow the new team.
Ghostbusters 6 should still happen after Frozen Empire
The new team is ready to move forward
Despite Frozen Empire struggling at the box office, the franchise is one of the most beloved IPs ever made and there is so much more potential to explore these stories. Of course, they can choose to keep the cast updated with Spengler. However, it’s time to get creative and fresh with the material. After the original films were released, several animated spin-offs introduced entirely new stories, ghosts, and locations, while the more recent films are still set in New York, with a handful of ghosts to fight.
A new team has been established, so it’s possible that Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard will embark on new adventures without being so closely tied to the past. Instead, they could have kids go to college and stumble upon ghost infestations, or the Ghostbusters would get more famous and start working all over the US. There’s a lot of potential for the franchise, but five films in it feels like only the surface has been scratched. It’s time to Ghostbusters 6 to move forward and bring something new to the table.