Sony is developing another newGhostbustersmovie, but this one will be a little different from the recent live-action films. The studio is once again set on expanding the franchise, this time with an animatedGhostbustersmovie from Sony Animation – and Netflix. There’s gotta be a joke in there about crossing streams. See if you can figure it out.
According toDeadline, Sony is currently developing an animatedGhostbustersmovie for Netflix. The project, which doesn’t have a title just yet, is reportedly in early development with director Kris Hearn and is said to be separate from Netflix’supcomingGhostbustersanimated series. Hearn is a longtime animator who served as a storyboard artist on Phil Lord and Chris Miller’sCloudy With a Chance of Meatballsbefore making his directorial debut withCloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2.He also directed the animated filmThe Willoughbys,which Netflix released in 2020.
9 Actors Who Turned Down Roles in Ghostbusters
One of the key ingredients to the Ghostbuster’s success is its all-star cast. But there are some big names who turned down roles in the franchise.
Per the report, Sony execs think the newGhostbustersanimated movie “could do for the IP what theBeyond the Spider-Versefilms have done forSpider-Man.” That desire is understandable given Sony’s struggles to leverage its Spider-Man rights into an extended universe of films based on classic (and not-so-classic) Spider-Man villains. The one area where Sony has seen immense success with the Spidey IP is in theSpider-Verse, with 2018’sSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Versegrossing over $358.5 million worldwide and receiving near-universal acclaim for its immersive and inventive animation style. The sequel,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, was released in June 2023 and nearly doubled its predecessor’s box-office gross with $690.8 million worldwide.
The third film in the planned trilogy,Beyond the Spider-Verse, was delayed from its ambitious release date of August 25, 2025. Sony has yet to give the sequel a new release date, though it might be a while asa recent report revealedthat the original sequel plan was scrapped and rewritten from scratch.
‘Ghostbusters’ Has a Long History With Animation
This won’t be the first time the Ghostbusters transitioned from live action to animation. Following the success of 1984’sGhostbusters, writers and stars Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd developed an animated spinoff series featuring the characters from the film.The Real Ghostbustersaired on ABC from 1986 to 1991, and featured Lorenzo Music (best known as the voice of Garfield) as Peter Venkman, Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler, Frank Welker as Ray Stentz, and Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore. The series underwent a couple of changes during its run, withFull Housestar Dave Coulier replacing Music and Buster Jones ofG.I. JonesandTransformersfame replacing Hall after Season 2. The series was retitled toSlimer! and the Real Ghostbustersin Season 4.
Extreme Ghostbusters, a spinoff featuring Egon (still voiced by LaMarche), Janine, and Slimer, along with a new cast of characters, debuted in 1997. That series produced 40 episodes and ran for just one season.
Back in 2017, whenGhostbustersfandom was in a very precarious place following the misogynist backlash to Paul Feig’sGhostbusters, original director Ivan Reitman announced plans for various spinoffs seemingly in an effort to please disgruntled fans. One of those projects was an animated spinoff movie calledEcto Force, featuring a new team of Ghostbusters who travel the world busting ghosts in the year 2050. (Again, it was a weird time.)
Netflix’sGhostbustersanimated series was first announced in 2022, and remains in active development. Back in March,Ghostbusters: Frozen Empiredirector Gil Kenanoffered an update on the series, revealing that he’d seen a full presentation for the series and that scripts were being written.
You can stream the most recent film,Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, on Netflix.
