# Almost a year to the day, Gil Kenan said this...

**URL:** <https://forum.gbfans.com/t/almost-a-year-to-the-day-gil-kenan-said-this/25835>\
**Category:** General Ghostbusters Discussion\
**Created:** [October 7, 2025, 9:08am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/almost-a-year-to-the-day-gil-kenan-said-this/25835 "2025-10-07T09:08:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![moviefacts](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/moviefacts/32/183676_2.png) [@moviefacts](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/moviefacts)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 8:31am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/almost-a-year-to-the-day-gil-kenan-said-this/25835/21 "2025-10-17T08:31:02Z")

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> [@WCat2000 post\_id=5006861 time=1760565569 user\_id=59623](#):
>
> > [@MovieFacts post\_id=5006852 time=1760551143 user\_id=52386](#):
> >
> > Yes, I meant live-action spin-offs. Then you have the freedom of different stories, writers, and directors with every movie.
> > 
> > What kind of horror? In terms of tone I would say Stranger Things and the two recent IT movies are perfect. I know comparisons were made between Afterlife and Stranger Things because of a young female lead protagonist and Finn Wolfhard but that’s where it stopped. Tonally, Stranger Things deals with heavier themes, gore, and violence. In terms of horror, it’s dialled up a few notches.
> > 
> > Vecna is not getting signed off by execs at Sony for a Ghostbusters movie in it’s current guise.
> > 
> > The Duffer Brothers would have been perfect for a Ghostbusters spin-off, but never happening now. Way too expensive and signed up to Paramount.
> 
> I’ve actually never seen Stranger Things but I saw the first IT movie. I don’t think gore fits with GB. If you’ve never seen House ‘86 the trailers on YouTube show pretty much exactly what to expect.
> 
> As for spinoffs I like the idea of another team opening up somewhere besides NY. I think there needs to be another Spengler movie with them as a complete fully adult team first.
> 
> I personally really liked Men in Black International. I didn’t know or suspect anything was wrong with production until I read about it afterwards. Anyway it was easy to believe the MIB had another headquarters because they’re a secret organization and have been around for decades.
> 
> The GB have only ever been in NY so I think it’d be better if a new team was introduced in a 3rd Spengler movie before they get their own or maybe even a TV show. Just opening up off-camera and suddenly being the focus is odd. It’d come off like a reboot.

Regarding gore, I take your point. Though with a spin-off, you have the freedom to push the envelope a little further compared to the main chronology. I guess the point I’m making is that it opens up new opportunities and the ability to take creative risks without damaging the continuity of Ghostbusters, [Ghostbusters II](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/games/ghostbusters-ii-activision), [Afterlife](https://www.gbfans.com/shop/ghostbusters-afterlife), and [Frozen Empire](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/ghostbusters-frozen-empire).

I think you touch on a lot of beats that resonate with GB fandom and fandoms in general. Fandoms don’t like change to something they hold dear, and understandably so. But I think that’s when franchises stand still and the general movie-going public get fatigued by it.

For example, I’m sure there are sections of the fandom who would like to see [Bill Murray](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/people/bill-murray) resurrected from the grave in 50 years time just to crowbar him into another [Ghostbusters movie](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/movies). Personally, I don’t want the OG Ghostbusters in another Ghostbusters movie.

The point I’m making is there’s a trade-off between what fandoms want and what the wider movie-going public desires. I’m not sure a Spengler family movie is what audiences want right now, fandom aside, I feel there is an apathy towards it. That’s a broad statement, but historically, the Ghostbusters box office has a ceiling of around $200 million. So from a budget standpoint, you’ve got to factor that into your thinking when making your next live-action movie.

Which headline is going to get people talking and intrigued?

“New Spengler-family Ghostbusters movie returns to NY”

Or

“New Ghostbusters Spin-Off Is a Horror Movie Set in London.”

Three radical changes that get people talking. Plus the more different locations you have in each movie, naturally it’s going to expand the fanbase.

Anyway, I hope I don’t offend anyone. I know there are far more savvy and passionate people about Ghostbusters on this forum. But I say this because I care about the future of the franchise.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wcat2000](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/wcat2000/32/187224_2.png) [@wcat2000](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/wcat2000)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 11:54am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/almost-a-year-to-the-day-gil-kenan-said-this/25835/22 "2025-10-17T11:54:32Z")

</div>

> [@MovieFacts post\_id=5006886 time=1760689862 user\_id=52386](#):
>
> > [@WCat2000 post\_id=5006861 time=1760565569 user\_id=59623](#):
> >
> > I’ve actually never seen Stranger Things but I saw the first IT movie. I don’t think gore fits with GB. If you’ve never seen House ‘86 the trailers on YouTube show pretty much exactly what to expect.
> > 
> > As for spinoffs I like the idea of another team opening up somewhere besides NY. I think there needs to be another Spengler movie with them as a complete fully adult team first.
> > 
> > I personally really liked Men in Black International. I didn’t know or suspect anything was wrong with production until I read about it afterwards. Anyway it was easy to believe the MIB had another headquarters because they’re a secret organization and have been around for decades.
> > 
> > The GB have only ever been in NY so I think it’d be better if a new team was introduced in a 3rd Spengler movie before they get their own or maybe even a TV show. Just opening up off-camera and suddenly being the focus is odd. It’d come off like a reboot.
> 
> Regarding gore, I take your point. Though with a spin-off, you have the freedom to push the envelope a little further compared to the main chronology. I guess the point I’m making is that it opens up new opportunities and the ability to take creative risks without damaging the continuity of Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Afterlife, and Frozen Empire.
> 
> I think you touch on a lot of beats that resonate with GB fandom and fandoms in general. Fandoms don’t like change to something they hold dear, and understandably so. But I think that’s when franchises stand still and the general movie-going public get fatigued by it.
> 
> For example, I’m sure there are sections of the fandom who would like to see Bill Murray resurrected from the grave in 50 years time just to crowbar him into another Ghostbusters movie. Personally, I don’t want the OG Ghostbusters in another Ghostbusters movie.
> 
> The point I’m making is there’s a trade-off between what fandoms want and what the wider movie-going public desires. I’m not sure a Spengler family movie is what audiences want right now, fandom aside, I feel there is an apathy towards it. That’s a broad statement, but historically, the Ghostbusters box office has a ceiling of around $200 million. So from a budget standpoint, you’ve got to factor that into your thinking when making your next live-action movie.
> 
> Which headline is going to get people talking and intrigued?
> 
> “New Spengler-family Ghostbusters movie returns to NY”
> 
> Or
> 
> “New Ghostbusters Spin-Off Is a Horror Movie Set in London.”
> 
> Three radical changes that get people talking. Plus the more different locations you have in each movie, naturally it’s going to expand the fanbase.
> 
> Anyway, I hope I don’t offend anyone. I know there are far more savvy and passionate people about Ghostbusters on this forum. But I say this because I care about the future of the franchise.

I understand what you mean. I just read [Ernie Hudson](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/people/ernie-hudson) said he’d like to see it grow beyond the Spengler family too. I’m completely on board for expanding it. I’ve suggested all of this before. What I’m saying is I think there needs to be a 3rd Spengler movie where things are set up.

An idea off top of my head for a different team is they’re called to another state or country to help out a group of paranormal investigators but they’re also needed back home in NY so by the end they decide to open another GB location in this new place. Over the course of the movie we’ve now been introduced to the new team and their operation. You can even use the same basic headline GB goto London or wherever.

Just picking up in a different place where I guess Winston shows up just to establish continuity would be an odd shift from FE. It’s also unfair to the Spengler’s who would now be a complete team as adults. They deserve a full movie together.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mrmichaelt](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/mrmichaelt/32/188045_2.png) [@mrmichaelt](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/mrmichaelt)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 12:46pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/almost-a-year-to-the-day-gil-kenan-said-this/25835/23 "2025-10-17T12:46:53Z")

</div>

> [@WCat2000](#):
>
> I understand what you mean. I just read Ernie Hudson said he’d like to see it grow beyond the Spengler family too. I’m completely on board for expanding it. I’ve suggested all of this before. What I’m saying is I think there needs to be a 3rd Spengler movie where things are set up.
> 
> An idea off top of my head for a different team is they’re called to another state or country to help out a group of paranormal investigators but they’re also needed back home in NY so by the end they decide to open another GB location in this new place. Over the course of the movie we’ve now been introduced to the new team and their operation. You can even use the same basic headline GB goto London or wherever.
> 
> Just picking up in a different place where I guess Winston shows up just to establish continuity would be an odd shift from FE. It’s also unfair to the Spengler’s who would now be a complete team as adults. They deserve a full movie together.

Well, you kinda saw them dabble in more ‘intense’ material like Gozer ripping the reanimated Shandor in half or Garraka freezing and smashing the cashier he thought was a Fire Master o.s.

Like any good businessman, Winston has to be thinking of franchising in the long run and putting a franchise in another state means another Engineer Corps base to study more supernatural material. Plus, it would be another bit tying back into the first movie - after the bank, Peter tells Ray and Egon those franchising rights alone will make them rich. They had multiple teams in NYC in the Hellbent drafts, they were almost going to do a Chicago franchise had there been a sequel to [Ghostbusters: The Video Game](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/games/ghostbusters-the-video-game), a Chicago branch was explored in the IDW run, a San Francisco branch in the Rise of the Ghost Lord. I think a 3rd movie could at least seed it like the big threat goes from city to city and over the course of the movie realize it’s a pattern it repeats leading to back to its original manifestation point so they have to leave NYC towards the end to trap it once and for all before it goes into hibernation and can’t be tracked for decades again (or whatever), they meet some people who are well versed in the lore of the entity (and the city) and help the team track it down but maybe have to deal with the politics of trying to operate in a different city. Catch it. End credits. End tag of these new characters in Winston’s office. He asks them if they ever considered starting a business in their city. Then idk, spin them off to a streaming series like 4 episodes or the equivalent to a direct-to-video movie on streaming instead of theatrical.

And/or they can do what canons like IDW or Hellbent or [Sanctum of Slime](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/games/ghostbusters-sanctum-of-slime) did and formalize NYC having multiple teams with the Spengler family as the senior team. But of course to support that, NYC would need to get pretty infested with ghosts i.e. like the premiere of [Extreme Ghostbusters](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/extreme-ghostbusters), disturbing that ‘prison’ led to a new spike in paranormal activity because in most cases, clearing out the big bad leads to a dearth in activity. I suppose we did get that with the ghosts let out of the [Containment Unit](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/equipment/containment-unit) by Garraka. And technically, they have that already in the Engineer Corps. Sorta like IRL you have the police, fire fighters, paramedics performing different functions at the site of the incident. They could progressively build on that in the next movie(s).

Yeah, from the beginning, [Jason Reitman](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/people/jason-reitman) and [Gil Kenan](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/gil-kenan) pretty much said the plan was to tell the Spengler family story then hand the baton off to other directors to tell new stories. I think it’s clear they’ve been planning a trilogy to tell three stages of the Spengler family life from the POV of Phoebe as she gets older - preteen, teen, adult. It will be intriguing to see who will pick up the torch after the trilogy is done. I’m still pretty interested in what Ruben Fleischer was planning to do for a movie for instance.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wcat2000](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/wcat2000/32/187224_2.png) [@wcat2000](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/wcat2000)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 9:44pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/almost-a-year-to-the-day-gil-kenan-said-this/25835/24 "2025-10-17T21:44:56Z")

</div>

> [@mrmichaelt post\_id=5006889 time=1760705213 user\_id=24972](#):
>
> > [@WCat2000](#):
> >
> > I understand what you mean. I just read Ernie Hudson said he’d like to see it grow beyond the Spengler family too. I’m completely on board for expanding it. I’ve suggested all of this before. What I’m saying is I think there needs to be a 3rd Spengler movie where things are set up.
> > 
> > An idea off top of my head for a different team is they’re called to another state or country to help out a group of paranormal investigators but they’re also needed back home in NY so by the end they decide to open another GB location in this new place. Over the course of the movie we’ve now been introduced to the new team and their operation. You can even use the same basic headline GB goto London or wherever.
> > 
> > Just picking up in a different place where I guess Winston shows up just to establish continuity would be an odd shift from FE. It’s also unfair to the Spengler’s who would now be a complete team as adults. They deserve a full movie together.
> 
> Well, you kinda saw them dabble in more ‘intense’ material like Gozer ripping the reanimated Shandor in half or Garraka freezing and smashing the cashier he thought was a Fire Master o.s.
> 
> Like any good businessman, Winston has to be thinking of franchising in the long run and putting a franchise in another state means another Engineer Corps base to study more supernatural material. Plus, it would be another bit tying back into the first movie - after the bank, Peter tells Ray and Egon those franchising rights alone will make them rich. They had multiple teams in NYC in the Hellbent drafts, they were almost going to do a Chicago franchise had there been a sequel to Ghostbusters: The Video Game, a Chicago branch was explored in the IDW run, a San Francisco branch in the Rise of the Ghost Lord. I think a 3rd movie could at least seed it like the big threat goes from city to city and over the course of the movie realize it’s a pattern it repeats leading to back to its original manifestation point so they have to leave NYC towards the end to trap it once and for all before it goes into hibernation and can’t be tracked for decades again (or whatever), they meet some people who are well versed in the lore of the entity (and the city) and help the team track it down but maybe have to deal with the politics of trying to operate in a different city. Catch it. End credits. End tag of these new characters in Winston’s office. He asks them if they ever considered starting a business in their city. Then idk, spin them off to a streaming series like 4 episodes or the equivalent to a direct-to-video movie on streaming instead of theatrical.
> 
> And/or they can do what canons like IDW or Hellbent or Sanctum of Slime did and formalize NYC having multiple teams with the Spengler family as the senior team. But of course to support that, NYC would need to get pretty infested with ghosts i.e. like the premiere of Extreme Ghostbusters, disturbing that ‘prison’ led to a new spike in paranormal activity because in most cases, clearing out the big bad leads to a dearth in activity. I suppose we did get that with the ghosts let out of the Containment Unit by Garraka. And technically, they have that already in the Engineer Corps. Sorta like IRL you have the police, fire fighters, paramedics performing different functions at the site of the incident. They could progressively build on that in the next movie(s).
> 
> Yeah, from the beginning, Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan pretty much said the plan was to tell the Spengler family story then hand the baton off to other directors to tell new stories. I think it’s clear they’ve been planning a trilogy to tell three stages of the Spengler family life from the POV of Phoebe as she gets older - preteen, teen, adult. It will be intriguing to see who will pick up the torch after the trilogy is done. I’m still pretty interested in what Ruben Fleischer was planning to do for a movie for instance.

Ya its easy to come up with another branch. I’ve always considered the simple fact that the paranormal can be anywhere is reason enough and so many places have folklore they can barrow from.

[Ernie Hudson](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/people/ernie-hudson) mentions Winston’s family. Definitely bring in the Zeddemores. The Stantz family too. Also how ghosts impact us. Whatever his ideas are I want to know. A TV series or Made-for-Streaming movie would be the perfect format for spinoffs. They can deal with a variety ghosts without needing to be theatrical hits.

I don’t have a problem with Shandor being ripped in half or the freezings. That was cool (no pun intended) it reminded me of MK’s Sub-Zero. Even the heads in GB2 were fine. I mean anything ■■■■■■ or gross wouldn’t fit. Basically keep the gore level where it’s been.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mrmichaelt](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/mrmichaelt/32/188045_2.png) [@mrmichaelt](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/mrmichaelt)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 10:58pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/almost-a-year-to-the-day-gil-kenan-said-this/25835/25 "2025-10-17T22:58:45Z")

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> [@WCat2000 post\_id=5006892 time=1760737496 user\_id=59623](#):
>
> Ya its easy to come up with another branch. I’ve always considered the simple fact that the paranormal can be anywhere is reason enough and so many places have folklore they can barrow from.
> 
> Ernie Hudson mentions Winston’s family. Definitely bring in the Zeddemores. The Stantz family too. Also how ghosts impact us. Whatever his ideas are I want to know. A TV series or Made-for-Streaming movie would be the perfect format for spinoffs. They can deal with a variety ghosts without needing to be theatrical hits.
> 
> I don’t have a problem with Shandor being ripped in half or the freezings. That was cool (no pun intended) it reminded me of MK’s Sub-Zero. Even the heads in GB2 were fine. I mean anything ■■■■■■ or gross wouldn’t fit. Basically keep the gore level where it’s been.

Agreed, I really that that mention was seeding a Zeddemore child showing up in FE. There’s so much potential with that, there’s so many directions they can go but tie into the overall legacy theme we saw in AL and FE.

Yeah, knock wood, the animated projects do really well and NF would really want to expand on their partnership with Sony.

True, the impaled heads were probably the most intense it ever got. I mean, well [Answer The Call](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/ghostbusters-answer-the-call) had a suicide…

It’s not really more blood and gore I’d like to see. Just continue to break from the story structure GB1 and GB2 used. But show more busts, more proton streams, more investigating like the library stuff in FE. I liked the dual focus of Phoebe and Ray in FE. So I’d like the same for Winston in the next one.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wcat2000](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/wcat2000/32/187224_2.png) [@wcat2000](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/wcat2000)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 7:16am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/almost-a-year-to-the-day-gil-kenan-said-this/25835/26 "2025-10-18T07:16:35Z")

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> [@mrmichaelt post\_id=5006894 time=1760741925 user\_id=24972](#):
>
> > [@WCat2000 post\_id=5006892 time=1760737496 user\_id=59623](#):
> >
> > Ya its easy to come up with another branch. I’ve always considered the simple fact that the paranormal can be anywhere is reason enough and so many places have folklore they can barrow from.
> > 
> > Ernie Hudson mentions Winston’s family. Definitely bring in the Zeddemores. The Stantz family too. Also how ghosts impact us. Whatever his ideas are I want to know. A TV series or Made-for-Streaming movie would be the perfect format for spinoffs. They can deal with a variety ghosts without needing to be theatrical hits.
> > 
> > I don’t have a problem with Shandor being ripped in half or the freezings. That was cool (no pun intended) it reminded me of MK’s Sub-Zero. Even the heads in GB2 were fine. I mean anything ■■■■■■ or gross wouldn’t fit. Basically keep the gore level where it’s been.
> 
> Agreed, I really that that mention was seeding a Zeddemore child showing up in FE. There’s so much potential with that, there’s so many directions they can go but tie into the overall legacy theme we saw in AL and FE.
> 
> Yeah, knock wood, the animated projects do really well and NF would really want to expand on their partnership with Sony.
> 
> True, the impaled heads were probably the most intense it ever got. I mean, well Answer The Call had a suicide…
> 
> It’s not really more blood and gore I’d like to see. Just continue to break from the story structure GB1 and GB2 used. But show more busts, more proton streams, more investigating like the library stuff in FE. I liked the dual focus of Phoebe and Ray in FE. So I’d like the same for Winston in the next one.

Ya the straightforward ghost busting and investigation kind of feels more fun because they’re more personal encounters. They build tension and anticipation. The ghosts can be almost anything and how they interact with the environment makes it unique. There’s a lot of creative busts they could come up with.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jonxctrack](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/jonxctrack/32/187880_2.png) [@jonxctrack](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/jonxctrack)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2025, 3:11pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/almost-a-year-to-the-day-gil-kenan-said-this/25835/27 "2025-10-27T15:11:57Z")

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I’ve always liked the idea of having the Ghostbusters investigate the paranormal abroad, Houska Castle in particular. Here’s a summary I came up with:

In this thrilling new chapter of the Ghostbusters saga, a team led by [Callie Spengler](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/characters/callie-spengler), alongside [Gary Grooberson](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/gary-grooberson), Lars Pinfield, and [Nadeem Razmaadi](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/nadeem-razmaadi), ventures to the Czech Republic to investigate paranormal disturbances at the infamous Houska Castle, rumored to be a gateway to a demonic realm. Reports of spectral entities and unexplained phenomena have escalated, prompting the team to uncover the castle’s dark secrets. Armed with advanced [proton packs](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/equipment/proton-pack) and experimental tech, they face malevolent spirits and an ancient force tied to the castle’s medieval origins, testing their courage and ingenuity.

Meanwhile, in [New York City](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/new-york-city), [Ray Stantz](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/characters/ray-stantz) and [Winston Zeddemore](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/characters/winston-zeddemore) oversee operations at the Ghostbusters’ headquarters, mentoring Trevor and [Phoebe Spengler](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/characters/phoebe-spengler) as they tackle a surge of ghostly activity in the city. The New York team uncovers a mystical connection between the disturbances in Houska Castle and a series of supernatural events threatening Manhattan. As both teams race against time, they must combine their efforts to prevent a catastrophic breach of the paranormal veil.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![davideverona](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/davideverona/32/188100_2.png) [@davideverona](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/davideverona)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2025, 11:39am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/almost-a-year-to-the-day-gil-kenan-said-this/25835/28 "2025-10-30T11:39:48Z")

</div>

I kinda liked the original idea for the Feig reboot: the Ghostbusters being a sort of secret MIB like agency working with the government.

Obviously, you can make them a secret squad but they can be working alongside the FBI or the government on a national scale case.

This way, you bring in a “new team” of agents who treat the ghosts like nothing more than annoying rats or bugs and they are forced to learn the ropes of Ghostbusting without having to start again. You keep Phoebe and Trevor in NY with Winston and send Gary, Callie, Lars and Ray abroad to work with 2 agents.

In the end, the 2 agents opens a new GB chapter in their city.

[Previous page](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/almost-a-year-to-the-day-gil-kenan-said-this/25835.md?page=1)
