The new Ghostbusters film is set to arrive in July, and when it does, it will usher in a new era of paranormal pest control.
That being said, there's been a bit of confusion (and controversy) regarding the movie. How is it connected to the original movies? Will original stars Bill Murray and Dan Akyroyd be making an appearance?
Then, there is the fan outrage. There's a vocal group of fans upset about both the film's reboot status and the all-female cast. As a result, those angry with the new movie have pummeled the film's trailers with thousands upon thousands of dislikes on YouTube.
Not that it will likely have much of an effect on the movie's box office success. Ghostbusters is one of the few franchises in American pop culture history that is immediately recognizable, so no doubt, the name alone will fill theater seats thanks to the original film's classic status.
With all that in mind, what do we actually know about the new Ghostbusters? Let us fill you in.
It's NOT Ghostbusters 3
A third Ghostbusters film starring Dan Akyroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson was long in development. This new Ghostbusters movie is not that. Originally, Ghostbusters 3 would see the original team of paranormal pest controllers serving as mentors to a new team of ghostbusters, but script issues and the death of Ramis in 2014 saw the project stuck in development hell. Eventually, director Paul Feig would come along and express interest in directing a Ghostbusters film with female leads, and the rest, as they say, is history.
It IS A Reboot
Being a reboot, the new Ghostbusters follows a lot of the same beats of the original film. Erin Gilbert (Kristin Wiig) loses her teaching job at Columbia University due to a previously-published book positing that ghosts are real, much like Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz and Egon Spengler lose their jobs at Columbia University in the original film as a result of their ghost-chasing antics. From there, Gilbert reunites with fellow ghost enthusiast Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) and nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and New York City resident Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) to form the Ghostbusters. They even hire a secretary by the name of Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) to help them. When a full-scale ghost invasion of Manhattan begins to unfold, only the Ghostbusters can save the city. Sound familiar? While the roles are gender-swapped, many of the same personality types for the team remain.
The Original Ghostbusters Make Cameos
Just because the new film is a reboot doesn't mean fans won't see some familiar faces. Several stars from the original movie will be making cameos in Ghostbusters, including Murray, Hudson and Akyroyd (though they won't be appearing as their original Ghostbusters characters).
Slimer Is Back ...
It wouldn't be Ghostbusters without Slimer, who, if you remember, is actually the first ghost the original team catches in the 1984 film. He's back and as disgusting as ever in the Ghostbusters reboot, though how large of a role the franchise's unofficial mascot will play remains unknown.
... And So Is The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is also set to appear in the reboot (at least for a moment). The character served as the "final boss battle" for the heroes in the first Ghostbusters film after Ray accidentally brings the creature to life with his thoughts. Trailers have revealed Stay Puft will cause havoc once again in a scene during which New York City is being flooded with ghosts. The true monster the team must overcome in the reboot, however, appears to be a grotesque version of the Ghostbusters ghost logo.
A Main Character Will Get Possessed
One of the annoying things about ghosts is how they can possess the bodies of seemingly nice people and make them do evil, evil things. It happened in the original film with Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), and it looks like it will happen again with Hemsworth's character in the new film.
The Gear Is Immediately Recognizable
Much of the gear seen in the new film will immediately be familiar to fans of the original two films. There are proto packs and ghost traps, along with a number of new gadgets invented just for the reboot. Of course, the Ghostbusters would be nothing without their iconic ECTO-1 car, and the new Ghostbusters puts a fresh spin on that, too. In the original film, the ECTO-1 was a 1959 Cadillac ambulance. This new car is also a Cadillac, only it's a 1984 Cadillac hearse that probably would have been in service around the time of the original Ghostbusters. The movie will also introduce the ECTO-2, a motorcycle that will be driven by Hemsworth's character.
Ghostbusters is in theaters July 15.
