Ghostbusters 2020 (working title Ghostbusters 2) is a cancelled sequel to the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot that was announced shortly after the first film was released in theaters. Paul Feig and the main cast were signed on for the sequel.
Plot
According to a podcast interview with Paul Feig, the premise for the sequel would involve ghosts from foreign countries invading New York City and the Ghostbusters spring into action again to fight the ghosts. Rest of the plot is unknown.
Cast
- Melissa McCarthy as Dr. Abigail "Abby" Yates
- Kristen Wiig as Dr. Erin Gilbert
- Kate McKinnon as Dr. Jillian "Holtz" Holtzmann
- Leslie Jones as Patricia "Patty" Tolan
- Chris Hemsworth as Kevin Beckman
Rest of the cast is unknown.
Why It Was Cancelled
- Plans for a Ghostbusters shared universe, as well as the sequel were cancelled due to the controversy and box office failure of the first Ghostbusters.
- The first film received polarized reviews from critics, audiences and fans of the original films.
- Marketing for the first film was poor and the film failed to meet the expectations of being a hit.
- The box office failure of the first film lead to Sony losing $70 to $75 million and a $1 billion letdown in 2017, which meant that there was no likely chance for a sequel.
- Director Paul Fieg didn't handle the criticism properly from fans of the original films.
- Paul spent too much money on marketing and advertising and didn't pay attention to Sony's recommendations and Dan Aykroyd's rules on making the film. [1]
Results
- The sequel was permanently cancelled following the poor performance of the first film, which later resulted in Sony losing $70 to $75 million (mentioned earlier). Despite the cancellation, Paul Feig still expresses interest in doing the sequel.
- The first film is stand-alone.
- A fully animated film is in the works, however it is currently unknown who will be cast in the film. It is also unknown when it will be released or if it will be released.
- Sony went on to continue the original franchise instead of the reboot one, with a third film titled Ghostbusters 2020 set to be released in July 10, 2020. Jason Reitman, son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, as well as Ivan Reitman himself, will be involved in the film as director and producer respectively. The film will star new cast members, as well as most of the original cast members reprising their roles from the first two films, while ignoring the events of the reboot film, making the third film a direct sequel to the original films.