Did The Avengers: Endgame Trailer Tease A New Hawkeye?

Did The Avengers: Endgame Trailer Tease A New Hawkeye?

It’s been three years since we last saw Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton in action in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he’s finally back next month in Avengers: Endgame. This time around, he’s adopted a look reminiscent of his time as Ronin in the Marvel Comics, but obviously Clint is known best in both the comics and this film franchise as Hawkeye, archer extraordinaire. That said, it’s become common in the comics for multiple individuals in the comics to share the same superhero identity, Hawkeye being one of them. A new Endgame trailer dropped today, and there’s a moment that has us wondering if someone new will be taking over the Hawkeye mantle in the MCU.

What little we’ve seen of Clint Barton in the Avengers: Endgame previews so far have indicated he’s going through a particularly rough time post-Decimation. After all, he’d already retired from the superhero life at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, and after picking his bow and arrows back up during Captain America: Civil War, he was imprisoned and made a house arrest deal so that he could be with his family. But once again, he’s back in the field, this time with a drastically different costume and a mohawk. Many people have assumed that Clint’s wife and children were turned to dust along with half of all other life in the universe, which explains his new look and darker demeanor, but that has yet to be confirmed.

However, there’s one brief moment of happiness for Clint Barton in the latest Avengers: Endgame trailer, as he’s shown have a good time with a girl showing off her own archery skills. Check it out:

At the very least, this snippet highlights a happier time in Clint Barton’s life, either in the past or potentially in the future, assuming he makes it out of Avengers: Endgame intact. But this is the MCU; the smallest of moments can be teases for something bigger to come later. In this case, perhaps Clint training this young woman in archery means that she’ll take over as Hawkeye in the coming years. In other words, is the MCU bringing in Kate Bishop?

Created by writer Allan Heinberg and artist Jim Cheung, and introduced in 2005’s Young Avengers #1, Kate Bishop, who comes from a rich Manhattanite family, encountered the Young Avengers as a civilian during one of their early missions, but it didn’t take long for her and Cassie Lang, daughter of then-Ant-Man Scott Lang, to find the superhero team and invite themselves on as members. Initially Kate wore a variety of battle gear that belonged to various Marvel heroes and villains, including Hawkeye’s bow.

Although the main Avengers team demanded that the Young Avengers disband, Kate and the others refused, and when member Patriot was injured in battle, Kate blamed Captain America for he and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes not taking the time to train them. Impressed by Kate standing up to Steve Rogers, and noting that the only other person she’d seen do that to the Star Spangled Avenger was Clint Barton, Jessica Jones gave Clint’s old bow and arrows to Kate, leading to her becoming the new Hawkeye.

After Kate Bishop inherited the Hawkeye codename, Clint Barton was resurrected from the dead and had decided to wear Captain America’s uniform and shield since Steve Rogers had “died” after the Civil War conflict. Crossing paths with Clint, Kate, unaware of who he truly was, berated him for wearing Cap’s costume, noting that even though she’s going by Hawkeye, she didn’t copy his costume because that would have been disrespectful, and if Hawkeye were still alive, she would have taken a different codename too. Her words inspired Clint to go down his own path and become Ronin, and later he revealed his true identity to Kate and gave her his blessing to continue as Hawkeye. Clint would later revert to go back to Hawkeye, but Kate still holds that mantle as well, and the two have become crimefighting partners.

The MCU hasn’t delved into the concept of legacy heroes yet, but with Avengers: Endgame concluding the current iteration of this franchise and paving the way for a new era, that could change. Unlike Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner’s MCU future hasn’t really been a topic of conversation. While it hasn’t been rumored he’s done after Endgame, there’s also no indication he’ll be back for another movie or will lead his own Disney+ series. If Clint makes it out of Endgame alive and his family is brought back as well, one would imagine he’d want to return to his life of retirement. That leaves the Hawkeye mantle up for the taking, and Kate Bishop could easily fill that position, although the circumstances of her and Clint meeting would obviously be much different.

There’s also the possibility that it won’t be Kate Bishop who takes over as the new Hawkeye in the MCU, but Clint Barton’s own daughter, Lila. The problem with this theory is that the timeline, as sketchy as it is, doesn’t line up. Approximately 3-4 years pass between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame looks to be picking up shortly after Infinity War. But even with that amount of time having passed, Lila doesn’t look like she’s old enough to be the girl in the Endgame trailer.

That said, there have been plenty of rumors that Avengers: Endgame will visit the future, and it was rumored last year that Emma Furhman is playing an older version of Cassie Lang. Given his hairstyle, Clint obviously isn’t his Ronin self in this scene with the girl, so instead, this could is a flash forward to after Thanos has been defeated and everything has returned to normal… well, as normal as things can be in the MCU. If that’s the case, then that girl could easily be a teenaged Lila, and thus there’s setup for her to become Hawkeye even further down the road.

Whether Kate Bishop, Lila Barton or someone else takes over as Hawkeye in the MCU, or if we’ll even get a new Hawkeye, just like with the other starring heroes in Avengers: Endgame, this story will be a major turning point for Clint Barton. This is clearly a dark time for him, and while he was lucky enough to survive The Decimation, there’s no guarantee he’ll make it out of this latest mission alive. Still, I’m leaning towards Clint surviving, and if even if we don’t see Jeremy Renner in another MCU movie after this, his character’s left behind a notable heroic legacy, and it would be cool for a young woman, whoever she may be, to step in and continue where he left off as part of a new generation of heroes.

Avengers: Endgame opens in theaters on April 26, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. In the meantime, look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what’s lined up for Phase 4 and our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out later this year.

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8 Marvel Movie Characters Who Could Be Skrulls In Disguise

8 Marvel Movie Characters Who Could Be Skrulls In Disguise

Captain Marvel introduced a lot of new ideas and revelations to the MCU, but the most significant -- outside of Carol herself -- might just be the Skrulls. Comic book nerds are hoping that now that the shape-shifting Skrulls are in the picture, it won't be too long before Marvel Studios adapts the Secret Invasion storyline. The comic event featured the Skrulls playing the long game and systematically replacing key super heroes in order to take over the planet.

As to whether the MCU can even do this story is up to debate now that Captain Marvel introduced a more sympathetic version of the Skrulls. However, nothing is ever really off the table with the MCU and so we have to wonder: if Secret Invasion is in the works, what character has secretly been a Skrull this whole time? Someone would have to be a Skrull for the story to have any impact, and it just so happens that we have a few ideas.

Before we begin, here's my rationale for picking my choices:

1. There's no evidence to suggest the Skrulls can also copy superpowers beyond their own natural abilities. Otherwise, they all just would have copied Carol to have an unbeatable army of Captain Marvels. So, only normal humans are options.

2. The character has to make logical sense. If you are trying to take over the world, you're not going to take over a position that has no strategic value.

3. If the Skrulls are taking over Earth, it doesn't make sense to replace a Guardian of the Galaxy or other cosmic characters. That means we're keeping things strictly on Earth.

4. No love interests. It's crossing a very icky line for a Skrull to date anyone while lying about their true identity.

So, who are we looking at?

Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross

This is one of the more obvious and popular candidates, but there's a good reason for that. Thaddeus Ross is the Secretary of State, which means he's in one of the highest seats our government has to offer. The Skrull would be able to lay the ground work and use some political influence to prepare the planet for invasion, like, oh, I don't know...trying to control the Earth's superheroes and influence what they can and can't do. That's where the Sokovia Accords come into play and it could have been "Ross'" attempt to take some big pieces off of the chess board. Plus, there's a big gap in Ross' story. How does he go from being a washed up general getting wasted in the middle of the day to the Secretary of State? Maybe the Skrulls replaced the drunk Ross with their own man and got him a seat in Washington?

Everett Ross

The Skrulls are going after all of the Ross'. It makes sense that the Skrulls would want a man inside of the CIA to keep tabs on everything and further advance the invasion. Everett Ross seems to be in a high enough position to hold some sway. Of course, the real reason to go for Ross above all other agents is because of his close relationship to Wakanda, the most powerful country in the world. Controlling Wakanda would be a top tier item for the Skrulls, and Ross has already got the trust of Black Panther and the royal family. It'd be pretty lucky if a Skrull became Ross and THEN got swept up into the Wakanda business, so I think Ross would be replaced after the events of Black Panther.

Erik Selvig

Erik Selvig has been around since Phase One and his big brain has helped to save the day on more than one occasion. However, he just might be a little too smart. Not only was Selvig able to build a portal machine from the Tessaract but he was also able to nullify the effects of the Aether in Thor: The Dark World. It's possible for a human to be that smart, but it would make sense if he was actually a brilliant Skrull science guy. If he were a Skrull then that means that he was able to study the Tesseract for an unknown amount of time, getting vital data on a potential resource. He also worked closely with the Avengers, putting him in the position of a mole.

Hank Pym

This one is admittedly a long shot, but it would certainly be an impactful reveal. For starters, Hank Pym is one of the smartest men on the planet and he keeps a portal to another dimension in the back of a van. He's definitely a worthwhile target to replace. If Hank were a Skrull, that would hit fans right where they live. He's obviously a big character in the Ant-Man franchise and people have grown attached to him. I'm kind of breaking my no love interest rule here because 90% of Hank's motivations are to be reunited with his wife, Janet, but that doesn't stop him from getting replaced after Janet is rescued. The Skrull Hank can then avoid getting too friendly with her. Plus, Hank Pym was a Skrull in the comic book as well.

Maria Hill

Maria Hill is a perfect candidate to be a Skrull. She's not had a lot of spotlight but she's recognizable to fans. Hill is also a small enough character where it doesn't break continuity if she was a Skrull the whole time. Iron Man can't be a Skrull because then we've been following a fraud for 11 years, but Hill doesn't have that problem. She's also Fury's right-hand woman and is privy to a lot of information. It's a no-brainer for a Skrull to assume her position to gain intel and influence to prepare for the invasion. The only drawback is that Hill might be too obvious a suspect to be a secret Skrull.

Queen Ramonda

Wakanda is the most powerful country in the world and pretty much dominates in all categories. They have the best technology, the best weapons, the best defenses, and the best warriors. Wakanda already proved it's capable of matching an alien invasion, so of course it would be the number one obstacle to remove for the Skrulls. The best way to do that is to get someone in a powerful position on the inside, and there aren't too many more powerful than the queen. Queen Ramonda has the ear of the king and is privy to all the goings-on of Wakanda. Plus, it would be a major blow to Black Panther to find out his mom was replaced by an alien.

Sharon Carter

Again, it looks like I am breaking my love interest rule, but I don't think sharing one kiss really counts. Cap moves slow, people! While Sharon Carter's position as a CIA agent probably makes her a suitable target, it's really her proximity to Captain America that makes her valuable to the Skrull. By replacing one of Cap's friends, the Skrulls would be easily able to measure Cap's movements and gain access to his inner circle. Of course, all of this is assuming that Cap makes it out of Avengers: Endgame alive, which seems...unlikely at this point.

War Machine

War Machine as a Skrull makes a shocking amount of sense when you really think about it. If you were a Skrull, you would probably try to assimilate into the U.S. military. Maybe you also decide to befriend a notable arms dealer and covertly gain access to his cache of advanced weapons. Then maybe you get lucky enough to actually get one of his battle suits all to your own. And if you're going to be a superhero, then you might as well hang out with all of them and join their ranks, collecting intel and weaknesses all the while. It could be that Rhodey was just playing us all this time and rolling with the punches as they come. It would certainly be a gut punch to both fans and Iron Man if this beloved supporting character has been a villain the entire time.

I'm still a little skeptical on whether Marvel should make a Secret Invasion movie after learning more about the Skrulls and their situation, but the people at Marvel are also much smarter than me. Maybe they already know how it would work! If that's the case, this list features some prime choices for secret Skrulls that can make us doubt everything we know. We're still a long way off from a Secret Invasion movie, but the long game is Marvel's specialty.

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Chris Evans Thanks Avengers: Endgame Fans For Their 'Incredibly Touching' Posts

Chris Evans Thanks Avengers: Endgame Fans For Their 'Incredibly Touching' Posts

Avengers: Endgame is finally out in theaters, and moviegoers have turned out in droves to support Marvel's epic blockbuster. The movie has made an incredible amount of money, but it's also produced a lot of tears streaming down the faces of those who see it. Fans are taking to Twitter to share their appreciation for the film and the characters in it with the hashtag #ThankYouAvengers, and Chris Evans has shared his own appreciation for all the heartwarming messages.

If you are worried about spoilers in this article, don't be. Nothing specific about Endgame will be revealed here and the fact that this message is coming from Chris Evans isn't a clue. Captain America is far from the only character getting a shoutout by fans this weekend.

That being said, I wouldn't recommend searching for #ThankYouAvengers if you haven't seen the movie yet. While no one is really outright spoiling the movie, you'd be able to guess what happens pretty easily based on some tweets.

But you can hardly blame fans for wanting to share their appreciation. Endgame is a massive love letter to those who have followed the MCU since 2008, and it's filled with moments that will make you cheer. The MCU will continue past Endgame, but the movie makes some permanent changes to the universe and it is a finale of sorts.

Chris Evans must be feeling plenty of emotions this weekend. The actor took to social media to share his own thanks to the fans who are posting messages and making Avengers: Endgame the number one movie in the world right now. The movie is breaking almost every record under the sun right now and a lot of that has to do with the deeply loyal fanbase.

Obviously, Chris Evans has been playing Captain America since almost the very beginning of the MCU. The original six Avengers get plenty of time to shine in this film, and I'm curious to see if anymore actors are going to be sharing their own messages over the next few days.

It also helps that Endgame is a great film. Critics posted positive reviews, we here at CinemaBlend loved it, and audiences gave it an A+ ranking on CinemaScore. It looks like the movie is destined to go down as one of the all-time great superhero movies.

If you haven't seen it already (or you just want to get in a second viewing), Avengers: Endgame is in theaters right now. For more movie news and updates, be sure to check back in with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated on all the latest information. To learn what else Marvel has coming down the pipeline for the near future, be sure to check out our Marvel movie release guide. While you're at it, visit our 2019 movie release guide.

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Halloween’s Danny McBride Was Scared John Carpenter Would Laugh In His Face When Pitching The Sequel

Halloween’s Danny McBride Was Scared John Carpenter Would Laugh In His Face When Pitching The Sequel

Picture having the opportunity to meet your greatest cinematic idol - in particular the director of your favorite film of all time. Now imagine that meeting being the opportunity for you to pitch said creator on a new film to continue the classic's legacy. That's exactly the scenario in which Halloween co-writer Danny McBride found himself in the making of the recent horror blockbuster, and while his concept eventually won out, he was seriously afraid of John Carpenter treating him like a young punk. McBride recently offered his account of the encounter, saying,

I don’t think in my head I ever thought we’d actually be able to make the film, so it became very real when we started walking up the front steps of John Carpenter’s office. I think I turned to David [Gordon Green], and it was just this panic moment of realization of like, 'We’re about to meet John Carpenter, and one of our heroes of filmmaking could quite possibly laugh in our face.' And John just kind of said, ‘Alright, let’s hear it,’ and just wanted us to get down to business.

You could imagine the pressure on Danny McBride and Halloween co-writer/director David Gordon Green, as they were walking into a meeting with the man who created the epic horror that is Michael Myers. With a reputation for not suffering fools, John Carpenter can be intimidating to those who don't know what they're doing. Lucky for them, and the rest of the world, they knew exactly what they were doing.

As David Gordon Green explained to Vice during a paired interview with his fellow filmmaker, he and Danny McBride had a clear vision in mind when it came to the Halloween sequel they wanted to make. This was shown in their decision to ignore every single sequel in the series, as they wanted to be the only sequel to John Carpenter's 1978 original. Such a choice not only gave audiences something new and fresh to look forward to, it gave the series a new lease on life; one that Carpenter clearly appreciated, given his ultimate involvement with the project as a producer and composer. Considering his history with the franchise only extended to writing Halloween II and producing Halloween III: Season of the Witch, it's not a huge shocker that he was okay with the bulk of everything else being junked.

All it took to win over John Carpenter for Halloween's 2018 sequel was two things: a chance to indulge in his passion for music, via the film's score, and the opportunity to set the franchise's history straight. Danny McBride and David Gordon Green gave him both opportunities, and the rest is now noteworthy cinema history.

Whether any potential follow ups past this point will have that much luck remains unknown. But for now we at least have two Halloween films that John Carpenter personally approves of - both now available on home video for your personal enjoyment.

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Paul Rudd Talks Getting Starstruck Around Captain America

Paul Rudd Talks Getting Starstruck Around Captain America

Over the weekend the cast of Avengers: Endgame started a press tour mystified by all the secrecy the cast are sworn to until a movie is released. There is a certain bittersweetness to the cast assembling ahead of the release of Avengers: Endgame, because the blockbuster is said to be the culmination of a 22-film journey in the MCU that started with Iron Man.

Over at Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ant-Man’s Paul Rudd was asked about something he could actually answer: a moment that has stood out to him during his time with the MCU thus far and it included quite a bit of love for Captain America. Here’s what he said:

The very first time I filmed with these guys on Civil War it was pretty spectacular because we’d already filmed Ant-Man, but that was a little in a bubble. All of a sudden, I was seeing everybody in their suits and it was very exciting.

After the Ant-Man’s origin was introduced in 2015, the size-shifting superhero was recruited for Team Cap in Captain America: Civil War in a scene that had the Avengers at odds with one another for some exciting match-ups. Looks like Paul Rudd’s first scene among the extended universe when he freaks out over meeting Cap and Scarlet Witch was a lot less acting than one might expect. Rudd continued the memory with these words:

In fact, one time, I was standing opposite Chris Evans and he had to run to use the bathroom or something. He asked the prop guy to hold his shield and walked off. I just said [to the prop guy], ‘Can I try it?’ And I took the shield and it was very exciting. It was not dissimilar to what my character was feeling in the scene.

Once Team Cap, always Team Cap! We can easily imagine the Ant-Man actor doing exactly what he described because his character sounded just as starstruck toward Chris Evans’ iconic role when he stumbled out of a van, shook his hand a bit too long, and felt his broad shoulders. Is there any other acceptable reaction? If you have the chance to hold on to Cap’s shield for a short moment, why not?

Paul Rudd joined original Avengers cast members Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth over at Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday night. Check out the longer interview below:

Besides his coming appearance with them in Avengers: Endgame, Ant-Man has only appeared with the Avengers in Civil War in that fun airport battle scene. He sat out during Infinity War (much to some FOMO on his side) and as revealed to Ant-Man and the Wasp, became stuck in the Quantum Realm during the time of the snap.

As the Endgame trailers have teased, Scott Lang somehow makes it out of the Quantum Realm and approaches the Avengers as they try to figure out how to defeat Thanos and reverse his act of genocide. Ant-Man looks to have a more significant role in this upcoming film, whether the Avengers decide to use his Quantum tech to save the world or if one viral theory involving Ant-Man crawling into Thanos’ butt ring true. Answers to these questions aren’t far off, Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26.

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The Star Wars Franchise Will Take A Hiatus After Episode IX, According To Bob Iger

The Star Wars Franchise Will Take A Hiatus After Episode IX, According To Bob Iger

While fans are speculating what Star Wars Episode IX will have in store for fans to end the trilogiy, the second biggest question of the galaxy, far, far away, is what happens next. We were always told that we should be expecting one Star Wars movie a year going forward, but nothing had been officially announced by Lucasfilm for 2020 or beyond. Now, Disney CEO Bob Iger has confirmed what many had been speculating, the Star Wars franchise will be taking a bit of a break from the big screen.

Following Disney's big announcement regarding Disney+, Bob Iger sat down with Bloomberg and revealed that the plan is for Star Wars to take a break after Episode IX. While there certainly will be new Star Wars movies, they won't be coming immediately. According to Iger...

We will take a pause, some time, and reset. Because the Skywalker saga comes to an end with this ninth movie. There will be other Star Wars movies, but there will be a bit of a hiatus.

We know that there are several Star Wars projects in development. There's a trilogy by Rian Johnson as well as films being worked on by Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. However, we have no idea when we'll see any of these films. It sounds like Disney is in no hurry to make any of them happen.

Instead, it seems like the plan is for Star Wars to shift off the big screen, and take up the small screen instead. Disney confirmed that The Mandalorian will be a day one release when Disney+ launches in November, and so it sounds like the plan is for that series to be the next chapter of Star Wars.

Bob Iger had previously fallen on his sword and taken the blame for moving too quickly with Star Wars and had said the franchise would slow down in some way. Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story released within six months of each other and the latter film did not do traditional Star Wars numbers at the box office. Some wondered if Star Wars was moving too quickly and Iger seemed to agree that was the case. It seems this is that slow down that Iger was talking about. The brand as a whole isn't going to disappear, but the big screen efforts will take a break.

Bob Iger didn't give any indication of how long this hiatus would be, so we don't know know if the franchise is just going to take 2020 off and be back in 2021, or if it will be even longer before we see another big screen Star Wars movie. With two Star Wars series coming to Disney+, and other potential series being rumored that could come after, it's possible we could see the franchise out of theaters for a while as Disney tries to make sure Star Wars fans are on board the new streaming service.

If one were being cynical, one might think that the reason Star Wars will take a big screen break isn't because it needs to rest and reset, but because Disney wants people looking for more Star Wars to subscribe to Disney+. If one were being cynical.

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Dan Aykroyd Teases The New Ghostbusters Will Be ‘Quite Scary’

Dan Aykroyd Teases The New Ghostbusters Will Be ‘Quite Scary’

It’s a famous line from the original Ghostbusters theme song. “I ain’t afraid of no ghost.” Because the ghosts in Ghostbusters, both the original and it sequel, were never meant to be scary. The guys were making comedies that happened to involve the supernatural, not horror thrillers with a few jokes mixed in. But with a new Ghostbusters story potentially coming to theaters, chills and scares may be on the menu.

Dan Aykroyd, an OG Ghostbuster, was out promoting his vodka and answering Ghostbusters questions for The Canadian Press (via 660citynews.com). When asked about the script that Jason Reitman has produced for a possible Ghostbusters sequel, Aykroyd opened up a little and explained:

Ivan Reitman’s son Jason has written a beautiful script, I can’t say too much about it but it’s going to get made and hopefully there’ll be some familiar faces. … It’s so different from even the first and second [movies]. This just takes it to a new generation and a new direction that is so warm, heartfelt and, indeed, quite scary when you confront some of the issues that are being discussed.

The “quite scary” nod got us excited, because that would be a new direction for the franchise, and also for Jason Reitman as a director. Yes, he’s the son of the original director, Ivan Reitman. But nothing on Jason’s resume suggests that he’d be willing to tackle horror – though that doesn’t mean that he’s not ready to give it a try.

Also, with the reported casting of both Finn Wolfhard and Carrie Coon, the new movie might be leaning into a Stranger Things vibe, which taps into nostalgia by embracing ‘80s culture, but isn’t afraid to turn up the thrills when the story calls for it.

That first tease that Reitman filmed for this new Ghostbusters certainly set that mood:

But we don’t know a whole lot of details beyond that teaser, as the movie hasn’t yet gone into production. It is believed that the original stars Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson will return for this new movie, but we don’t know how they will be used in the story.

If Dan Aykroyd gets his way, however, the new movie will be the start of several new Ghostbusters stories, as he goes on to say in the interview:

I’ve written Ghostbusters High, where they meet in New Jersey in 1969 and we’re looking to do that as probably a glorified feature or pilot within the next maybe five years…. And it would lead to a television project and I thought of him immediately for that. It’s on his desk but that’s years away from the current project. But it’s a neat idea for a prequel. Imagine casting the three characters as teenagers! … We have other stuff after the Jason Reitman-helmed movie. We have at least one or two other concepts for the Ghostbusters and then we’ll look at doing the prequel, which will be a perfect button on all we’ve done up to that point.

Of course, those plans stop if the new movie can’t get the franchise back off of the ground. If the Paul Feig movie caught fire, the franchise could have continued in that direction. But for now, we are sitting back and anticipating a new Ghostbusters movie from Jason Reitman on July 10, 2020. Will you check it out?

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