A 'Ghostbusters' Sequel Could Be Epic

If you haven't seen the new Ghostbusters yet, I calmly ask you — what are you waiting for? Run, do not walk, to go see this cinematic masterpiece. The haters hated all they could, but the results are in and, according to Rotten Tomatoes (and, you know, me), Ghostbusters is certified fresh. Now that we've seen the positive fan and critic reactions, plus a $46 million opening weekend, there is one question on everyone's mind: will there be a Ghostbusters sequel? And if there is one, what would the Ghostbusters sequel be about?

The naysayers be damned, the new Ghostbusters franchise is a train that seems to be running full-steam ahead. In an interview with The Wrap, Rory Bruer, the president of worldwide distribution at Sony, said that he expects Ghostbusters to become an important brand and franchise, and that while nothing has been officially announced, "there's no doubt in my mind [a sequel] will happen." I certainly wouldn't be surprised if Sony announced a sequel within the coming months, especially since one of the films' stars, Melissa McCarthy, told The Hollywood Reporter that she'd do "102 more of these." In that same article, Ghostbusters breakout star Leslie Jones added that "as many [sequels] as they do, I'm there."

Possible Ghostbusters sequels are like music to my ears. But just what could these movies be about? If you haven't seen the new film yet and you don't want to be spoiled, turn back now. But if you have seen the movie, and you were astute enough to stay for the end-credits scene, then you might know where I'm headed with this.

Post-credits, we find our fab four Ghostbusters in the lab, with Patty listening to some recordings when she turns toward the other ladies and asks them, "what's Zuul?" Gasp! Now, if you, like myself, have seen the original 1984 Ghostbusters movie (and by seen I mean memorized, obsessed over, and died for) then you know that Zuul is also known as the Gatekeeper and is partners with Vinz Clortho, aka the Keymaster. Both are demigods and minions of Gozer the Gozerian. In the original film, Zuul inhabits Dana's (Sigourney Weaver) body, and it's crazy.

Does this little easter egg post-credits scene mean that Zuul, Vinz, and Gozer will be back for the sequel? Well, in an interview with Eric Eisenberg of Cinemablend, writer Kate Dippold stated:

I love Zuul, so there was a while I was pushing hard for it. And then when I didn't get that, I pitched that tag, like maybe in a sequel?... If this movie works and there is a call for there to be a sequel, then I would love for there to be a dark god. If the first one is them dealing with a human scientist that's doing this, the second one would be escalated to something more, you know?

If the sequel sees Gozer as the villain, there is a possibility that the plot might mimic the 1984 film with the ladies trying to stop Gozer from destroying the world. However, since the 2016 movie was its own story with its own plot, even if the sequel does feature Zuul, it's possible that Dippold could tinker with the Gozer origins or even change things up by having Zuul work for an entirely different god. Additionally, we could potentially see one of our beloved Ghostbusters possessed by Zuul, much like Abby when she was possessed by Rowan.

Of course, there's no guarantee that Gozer as the main villain in a sequel would be approved, especially if Sony wants these Ghostbusters to carve their own path. Reports of an all-male Ghostbusters reboot have come about, with Paul Feig admitting that the possibility of a Ghostbusters multiverse between the males and females could be possible. In that case, who's to say that Kate McKinnon's Jillian Holtzmann couldn't get her own origin story? Could you imagine Holtzmann as a young college student starring alongside Sigourney Weaver as her mentor Rebecca Gorin? The movie could follow Holtzmann's foray into the supernatural world, her work with Rebecca, and ultimately, the beginnings of her friendship and partnership with Abby. Heck, who's to say Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) couldn't get his own spinoff movie, too? I'm not quite sure what it would be about — possibly Kevin as a Ghostbuster, or maybe Kevin moving to a new city to start his own Ghostbusters crew. Honestly, the sky's the limit with the Ghostbusters universe.

I, for one, would love to see our Ghostbusters take on Gozer in their own way, and if not Gozer, I definitely agree with Dippold that a dark god, something completely supernatural, as their antagonist would be incredible. Right now, all we can do is cross our fingers that Sony greenlights a sequel. And if that sequel is greenlight? Well, I think the Ghostbusting possibilities are endless.

Images: Columbia Pictures; Giphy