For years, there’s been talk of Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation collaborating on a Ghostbusters animated film. While progress seemed nonexistent for a long time, the project now appears to be stirring back to life.
Insider Jeff Sneider posted an update recently, claiming that Sam Jarvis has joined the project and will be tasked with writing the script for the movie. Describing herself as “a writer who is sometimes funny on purpose,” Jarvis boasts an impressive resume in comedy, with writing credits that include Dirt, Tosh.0, and Dollface.
Jarvis comes aboard the project following earlier script drafts by Yoni Brenner and Kristy Hall. Sneider also reports that the film will be directed by The Tiger’s Apprentice filmmaker Kris Pearn and will serve as an entirely new entry in the franchise.
The animated Ghostbusters project has been in development in various forms for years, with early iterations discussed as far back as 2015. And while there have been plenty of reports on the subject, neither Sony nor Netflix have made any major, formal announcement with details like a title or release date.
The first news of an animated Ghostbusters movie dates back to October 2015 when Ivan Reitman (director of the original Ghostbusters movie) announced that the companies were developing an animated feature. At the time, it was described as a story that would be told from a ghost's perspective.
In June 2022, we got a more formal update as it was confirmed that an animated Ghostbusters feature is in development "with all new characters and a whole new take." Jennifer Kluska (Hotel Transylvania 2) and Chris Prynoski (Beavis and Butt-Head Do America) were attached to direct with Brenda Hsueh penning the script.
The movie was announced alongside a new Netflix animated series, which has also received few updates in the years since.
At this point, talk of an animated Ghostbusters movie has stretched on for more than a decade with few concrete details to show for it. While the idea of the project still moving forward at Sony and Netflix is exciting, this latest report from Jeff Sneider should be taken with a grain of salt, as many similar updates over the years have failed to materialize.
The Ghostbusters franchise has experience somewhat a revival in recent years with the latest film, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, releasing in theaters in March 2024. Continuing the story from 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which served as a successful continuation from the original movies, Frozen Empire concluded its theatrical run with around $200 million at the global box office. A moderate success for the studio, there are reportedly plans for another live-action movie, but nothing has been officially greenlit yet.