For 40 years, doctors Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore have asked audiences, “Who you gonna call?” You’re going to call the Ghostbusters when the ghosts come, and for 40 years, they’ve been doing just that. In the original hit film from 1984, the team of Peter, Ray, Egon, and Winston–Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson, respectively–were tasked with saving New York City from the evil Gozer the Gozerian. 5 years later, the team reunited again to face a new slimy enemy known as Vigo the Carpathian and once again save New York City. After that fateful 1989 New Year’s Eve showdown, the Ghostbusters disappeared from the mainstream both in their universe and ours.
A third Ghostbusters film languished in development hell for years with countless proposals. One particular proposal during the 90s even had the late Saturday Night Live alumni and comedian Chris Farley (Tommy Boy, Black Sheep) attached to star in the film. But nothing materialized, and it seemed like a dead sequel, like so many that would never come down the pipeline. In the 2010s, something seemed to be moving forward with the original team returning. Then, in 2014, Harold Ramis, the actor for Egon Spengler, passed away. This tragedy resulted in a creative rift with an unclear future as to if Ghostbusters III would ever be made. Instead, Sony pursued a reboot with SNL stars Melisa McCarthy and Kate McKinnon. The film was released in July 2016 and was a commercial disaster. Sony returned to the drawing board and canceled planned sequels to the reboot. Finally, in 2021, a sequel to Ghostbusters II (1989) titled Ghostbusters: Afterlife was released in theaters and was a success. Most of the surviving original cast returned, except Rick Moranis, who portrayed Louis Tully in the original films. Moranis retired from acting to care for his children before finally returning to acting in 2023.
Additionally, over the years, other actors have had their days in the ghostbusting business. Sigourney Weaver portrayed Peter Venkman’s love interest Dana Barrett in the first two films. Annie Potts played Janine Melnitz, the Ghostbusters office lady, in the four original films.
A sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife was released this year in March. In the film titled Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the original cast and the new cast introduced in Ghostbusters: Afterlife teamed up to save the world from a second Ice Age. The film also brought the original Ghostbusters back to New York City after Ghostbusters: Afterlife took a detour to a rural American town.
With the release of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire earlier this year, the franchise and legacy of Ghostbusters lives on 40 years after the original film hit theaters. Audiences around the globe will hopefully continue to cherish the legacy of ghostbusting for years to come.
