Ghostbusters Return is a sequel to Ghostbusters. It is a direct sequel of the original films, ignoring the events of the 2016 reboot.
Plot[]
27 years after Ghostbusters II, with very little ghost activity, a disastrous female counterpart to the team led by Rowena North, and supernatural debunker Dr Martha Heiss convincing the city that the Ghostbusters are frauds, Ghostbusters have gone outta business. Abigail Spengler continues to study ghosts, hoping to one day become a Ghostbuster like her late father, Egon Spengler. Peter Venkman's stepson, Oscar Barrett, has been trying to distance himself from Peter's old Ghostbuster days after Peter retired to be with his family. Both Oscar and Abigail are being taught by Rowena North who resents the original Ghostbusters and blames them for the failure of her own team.
Abigail meets former Ghostbuster Ray Stantz at Columbia University where he has become a professor. Ray and Abigail drag Oscar into a paranormal investigation. They witness a ghost, convincing Oscar of the supernatural but he posts the video online and he and Abigail are expelled and Ray is fired by the university. Ray, Oscar and Abigail restore the old Ghostbusters HQ. They begin to capture ghost and rehire Janine Melnitz as their receptionist.
Former Ghostbuster, Winston Zeddemore, witnesses a ghost in a subway line and contacts the group, rejoining the team. They document and trap the ghost but their findings are again dismissed. They continue to develop their technology and advertise their services.
Unbeknown to the Ghostbusters, the ghosts are being summoned by Rowena North, who turns out to be an occultist attempting to bring about the apocalypse. When Rowena plants another device at a live music venture, the Ghostbusters are called in and capture the ghost in front of the audience.
Dr Heiss, challenges the Ghostbusters, intending to debunk them again. Despite Oscar's warnings, Dr Heiss releases the ghosts from containment. One of the ghosts kills Dr Heiss.
The Ghostbusters are arrested until Agent Bradley arrives and explains the DHS know of the ghost problem and have been training government agents but since none of said agents are as experienced as the Ghostbusters, Agent Bradley has them released. The Ghostbusters realise Rowena is planting her devices along ley lines which intersect at the Mercado Hotel in Times Square, a site with a history of paranormal activity, and discover she is building a portal to the ghost dimension in the hotel basement.
To avoid capture, Rowena electrocutes herself in the hotel basement, after which Ray deactivates the portal. Oscar discovers a copy of Peter Venkman's book among Rowena's possessions and realises she killed herself to become a ghost and command a spirit army.
Rowena returns as a powerful ghost, possessing Abigail and then Janine. As Janine, she opens the portal and releases hundreds of ghosts, including her old Ghostbusters team who now have proton packs fused to their bodies.
The police and DHS Ghostbusters are subdued but the Ghostbusters fight through the army of ghosts to reach the portal. Rowena turns gigantic and attacks the city. The team devise a plan to use the Ecto-1's nuclear reactor to close the portal and return the ghosts to their own dimension. The plan succeeds buts Rowena drags Abigail into the portal with him. Oscar jumps into the portal and rescues her as Rowena is destroyed. New York calls up with thanks and tributes to the Ghostbusters.
Cast[]
- Emma Stone as Abigail Spengler
- Michael Cena as Oscar Barrett
- Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz
- Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore
- Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz
- TBA as Rowena North
- Andy Garcia as Agent Bradley
- TBA as Dr Martha Heiss