Since the
release of Ghostbusters
II, fans had been eagerly awaiting the third installment of the
franchise. For years news circulated about co-creator Dan Aykroyd’s script called Ghostbusters
III: Hellbent, which would focus on a new group of younger Ghostbusters
and take the team to a hellish version of New York. But while the studio
was interested, his fellow castmates were not. 2009’s Ghostbusters: The
Video Game would recycle many elements from that script, and became
considered the equivalent of the third film as all of the principal cast returned
to voice their respective characters (save Sigourney Weaver and a
then-retired Rick Moranis). A
true third film
remained in various staged of development, even following the untimely death of
co-creator Harold Ramis. Ultimately,
a 2016 reboot
was what made it to the screen, directed by Paul Feig and featuring an
all-female starring cast. It received a lukewarm response from the fandom and
general audiences.
Then, news
came of a new film connected to the original ones directed by Jason Reitman, the son of original
director Ivan Reitman who
would serve as a producer. Similarly to Hellbent, Ghostbusters:
Afterlife would focus on a new group of kids that become embroiled in the
world of supernatural after two of them moved into their grandfather’s old house
in the Midwest and discovered a crop of old Ghostbusters gear. The film stars Mckenna Grace as Phoebe, Finn Wolfhard as her brother
Trevor, Carrie Coon as their
mother Callie, Paul Rudd as Phoebe’s
Ghostbusters-knowledgeable teacher Mr. Grooberson, Logan Kim as Phoebe’s
classmate Podcast and Celeste O’Connor
as Trevor’s classmate Lucky. The surviving original cast sans Moranis (who came
out of retirement too late to be included) make appearances in cameo roles.
Originally meant to released on July 10, 2020, it was delayed several times due
to the COVID-19
pandemic before getting a final release date of November 19, 2021.
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| The family size edition. |
As part of
the marketing promotion for the film, General
Mills introduced a limited-edition cereal based on it that hit store
shelves around April and May of 2021 in a regular and family size. This would
be the first time a Ghostbusters-themed cereal has been seen in grocery stores
since Ralston’s
version ended production some decades prior (however, Funko did release two as part of their POP!
Cereal Series in 2019). As the movie ties into the prior films, this cereal
pays homage to the original with the inclusion of ghost-shaped marshmallows and
red coloring for the fruity-flavored cereal pieces; however, the “no” logo was
foregone in favor of generic rounded puffs. Additionally, there were blue marshmallows
meant to represent the film’s new ghost, Muncher.
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| Trivia! |
The box for
Ghostbusters: Afterlife Cereal featured elements representative of the new
film decorating it. The primary no-ghost logo was the weathered and bolted logo
used in the film’s marketing, and the Mini-Pufts that made their debut in a teaser
are seen below the cereal bowl being blasted by a proton stream, as well as on
the side and back of the box. In the original promo images for the box, the
Mini-Pufts were absent, the stream was purple, and the Muncher marshmallows
were colored green; a further homage to the original’s Slimer marshmallows. The
back also featured Muncher, neon outlines of the equipment, Mr. Stay Puft and a
terror dog, and trivia questions.
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