Franchise star Ernie Hudson has hinted that a Ghostbusters 4 may already be in the works. While technically, the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife is already the fourth film in the franchise, it will ignore the events of the 2016 reboot and will instead serve as a direct sequel to the first two films. Despite not hitting cinemas until November 11th, lucky fans who attended Las Vegas CinemaCon or New York Comic Con this year were treated to unannounced advance screenings of Afterlife.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife follows single mother Callie (Carrie Coon) and her two children, Phoebe (McKenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), as they move to a remote farmhouse in Oklahoma, once owned by Callie’s deceased father, Egon Spengler (the late Harold Ramis). Trevor and Phoebe soon begin to unravel their mysterious family history, and as supernatural forces start to make themselves known, the children must suit up and follow in their grandfather’s footsteps. As well as introducing new cast members, including Paul Rudd, Afterlife will include the likes of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver, all reprising their roles from the original title and its subsequent 1989 sequel. The film also sees the return of the Reitman name to the director’s seat, as Jason Reitman, son of original director Ivan Reitmen, takes up the mantle to direct the newest addition to the Ghostbusters universe.

While Afterlife has yet to be released, Hudson has already talked about a potential future for the series. During a recent interview with CinemaBlend, the Ghostbusters icon discussed his interest in returning to the role of Winston Zeddemore in future sequels. He hinted that, while only rumors, he’s heard whispers that a script may already be in the works, saying “If they threw it, I would be honored to do it. I’ve heard rumors they’re writing a new one, so we’ll see.”


While Hudson and several of his Ghostbusters co-stars made a cameo (albeit as different characters) in the 2016 reboot, this will be Hudson’s first time stepping into the shoes of Zeddemore in 31 years. The 75-year-old star also recently opened up about his experience filming the 1984 Ghostbusters, where the veteran actor said, at the time, he struggled coming to terms with a shrinking role size for his iconic Ghostbusters character. Outside of his tenure as Zeddemore, Hudson has had a remarkably long and successful career, most recently celebrating the upcoming third season of crime drama, The Family Business.

Although very early days, it wouldn’t be surprising if Ghostbusters 4 was already in the works. Early reviews from critics and fans have been mostly positive, and despite a true sequel to the series spending years in development hell, interest in a return to the franchise has never really dwindled. With Afterlife finally around the corner, at least fans won't have to wait another three decades to see Venkman, Stantze and Zeddemore on the big screen again.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Release Date: Nov 11, 2021