With a $45.5 million haul at the box office this weekend, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” is the number one film in the country, and the Ghostbusters are back. While it remains to be seen if there will be a sequel—‘Frozen Empire’ cost $100 million, so it’ll need to make much more than “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”— fans will still have plenty of modern material to keep them happy if audiences want them.
The filmmakers have already teased the possibility of more film sequels, and “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” director Gil Kenan has confirmed that a third cartoon series is still in development at Netflix, following a long silence after the initial announcement.
Kenan recently gave a proper update on the current status of the mysterious Netflix cartoon on the podcast A Trip To The Movies With Alex Zane.
“It’s very exciting. I just watched an entire art presentation for the show. I’ve seen the sets and the environments, and I just saw my first glimpse at a world of supernatural characters as realized by our brilliant creative team,” he revealed. “All I can say is that the work is being done as we speak. It’s in what we call ‘full-development’ scripts are being written, and art is being created.”
READ MORE: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Review: Gil Kenan Crafts An Easygoing, Idiosyncratic Throwback Sequel
This news follows a report from Variety in 2022 that Netflix, Sony’s Ghost Corps. Inc, Jason Reitman (“Ghostbusters: Afterlife”), and Kenan would collaborate on an untitled animated project.
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first “Ghostbusters” animated project. Between the first two movies in the 1980s, “The Real Ghostbusters,” a super popular small-screen animated adaptation aired from 1986 to 1991. That non-canon show directly led to a lucrative string of toys and greatly influenced the more kid-friendly tone of “Ghostbusters II.” In 1997, a second series called “Extreme Ghostbusters” featured Egon training a diverse group of college students to become the next generation of Ghostbusters. The show also included the longtime favorite ghost, Slimer, elevating the character into a fan favorite despite minimal appearances in the original movies.
Hinting at more potential films, Kenan told Yahoo U.K., “I would love to see them come back for another adventure,” adding that he and co-writer Jason Reitman are “branching out into some other forms of storytelling,” likely meaning a hint at the aforementioned animated series.
The last two live-action films from Kenan and Reitman (son of the late Ivan Reitman) have also been heavily influenced by the animated ‘Ghostbusters series. Given Sony’s push to mine the franchise again, an animated series makes perfect sense to keep the I.P. going. Without the plot details known, it’s uncertain if the new cartoon connects to previous shows. But given how classic those cartoons have become to fans— and to Reitman and Kenan—expect at least some connective threads of nostalgia.