Welcome back to Behind The Scenes Saturday!!! I decided to remove my 5-year rule for my BTS series and today, I’m bringing you this tribute to Ghostbusters: Afterlife! Ghostbusters: Afterlife was not only a perfectly executed sequel, it was a wonderful tribute to the franchise’s creators. So, grab your proton pack, don’t cross the streams, and enjoy these fun pictures and bits of trivia!

(Trivia provided by IMDb.com)

(Pictured provided by facebook.com)

(SPOILER ALERT!!!)

• Some of Egon Spengler’s (Harold Ramis) favorite snacks appeared in this film – including Cheese-It crackers, Crunch, and of course, the Twinkie.
• Because this movie was developed in secret, the audition slides were very vague. Because of this, Finn Wolfhard (Trevor) had no idea that he was auditioning for this film.
• To prepare for their roles, Carrie Coon (Callie) and Mckenna Grace (Phoebe) read Ghostbuster’s Daughter: Life With My Dad, Harold Ramis, an autobiography written by Harold Ramis’s daughter, Violet Ramis-Stiel. A lot of Callie and Phoebe’s characterizations were inspired by that book. Ramis-Stiel was even credited by the film’s director, Jason Reitman as one of the key people who gave this sequel their blessing.

• Ivan Reitman directed the first two Ghostbusters movies. His son, Jason Reitman, is not only the director of this film, he had a small part in Ghostbusters II as the heckling kid at the birthday party.
• Even though this film seems to gloss over the events of Ghostbusters II, Jason Reitman confirmed that the movie is still canon and there’s a possibility that Vigo will reappear in a potential sequel.
• Paul Rudd (Gary) was approached to reprise his role as Tommy Doyle in Halloween Kills, but he chose to be in this film instead.

• Dan Aykroyd’s (Ray Stantz) daughter, Stella Aykroyd plays Deputy Medjuck in this film. Medjuck’s name was a nod to Joe Medjuck, who was an associate producer on the first Ghostbusters movie.
• From the very beginning, Jason Reitman pictured Carrie Coon for the role of Callie. However, Coon mostly did serious and dramatic parts and this was her first comedic role, so Reitman’s doubts of her performance started to surface. He ended up talking to every director who worked with Coon in the past to ensure that he made the right choice.
• Despite loving the previous Ghostbusters films, Jason Reitman didn’t want to make a sequel for quite a few years due to his and Ivan Reitman’s strained relationship. He was convinced to do the film when he realized he could work his personal struggles into the story.

• The ghost, Muncher was voiced by Josh Gad. He and Jason Reitman bumped into each other at the studio lot and Reitman asked him to be a part of the film.
• Olivia Wilde (Gozer) was born in 1984, the year when the first Ghostbusters movie was released.
• Phoebe mentioned that Gozer was not a he or a she and Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) noted that it was pretty woke for 3000 B.C. Celeste O’Connor also identifies as non-binary.

• When Phoebe and Podcast (Logan Kim) are walking through town, the theater behind them shows the title Cannibal Girls. Cannibal Girls was one of Ivan Reitman’s first movies.
• The mini Stay-Puft marshmallow man getting killed in the blender is an homage to the gremlin who got blended in Gremlins. Ironically, Gremlins and the first Ghostbusters were released only a day apart in 1984.
• Bob Gunton stepped up to play Egon Spengler for this film. With the blessings of Ramis’s children, the filmmakers used computer-generated imagery from the first 2 films to digitally put Ramis’s face on Gunton’s body. Ramis’s family was very happy with the final scene.

• In the first Ghostbusters, Egon told Janine (Annie Potts) that he collected spores, molds, and fungus. When Phoebe goes through everything in Egon’s basement, you can see the collection.
• Like he was for a long time, Bill Murray (Peter Venkman) was hesitant to reprise his role in this film. He was convinced to return after reading the script, as he saw how well the sequel was going to work.
• The photos and notes in Egon’s lab prove that Callie was born before the events of the first Ghostbusters. This also debunks the theory that Janine was Callie’s mom because Egon didn’t meet Janine until she started working for the ghostbusters.