Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a 2021 American supernatural comedy film directed by Jason Reitman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gil Kenan. It stars Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd, and features Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and Sigourney Weaver reprising their characters from the earlier films. It is the sequel to Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), and the fourth film in the Ghostbusters franchise. Set 32 years after the events of Ghostbusters II, it follows a single mother and her children who move to an Oklahoma farm they inherited from her estranged father Egon Spengler, a member of the original Ghostbusters. A third Ghostbusters film was in development since the release of Ghostbusters II, but production stalled because Murray refused to return to the series. After cast member Harold Ramis died on February 24, 2014, Sony produced a female-driven reboot which was released in 2016, but after it drew controversy and bombed commercially,[5] Jason Reitman developed a sequel to the original films. The new cast was announced by July 2019 and the original cast signed on two months later.

Filming took place from July to October 2019. The film is dedicated to Ramis and executive producer Tom Pollock (who died shortly after its completion),[6] and the former is commemorated before its closing credits. This was the final film to be produced by and involve the franchise’s co-creator Ivan Reitman before his death in February 2022. Ghostbusters: Afterlife was screened unannounced on August 23, 2021, during the 2021 CinemaCon event in Las Vegas. It was released in the United States on November 19, 2021, after being delayed four times from an original July 2020 date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film received praise for the cast’s performances, Reitman’s direction, nostalgic tone, and its respectful tribute to Ramis, with criticism mostly being directed towards its screenplay and fan service. It has grossed $204 million worldwide against a production budget of $75 million. A sequel is set to be released on December 20, 2023.