The Most Iconic Ghostbusters Villain Returning For Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2
The Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel will feature the return of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
The upcoming sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife will feature the return of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, the iconic villain from the first film that left a coating of marshmallow fluff across New York City. Special effects artists Billy Bryan, who both created and portrayed the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man posted an image of himself on Instagram holding a Ghostbuster Neutrona Wand with the caption “Here we go again… and look who is back.” That seems like a coy but definite confirmation that Stay Puft will be involved in the sequel to the 2021 reboot in some capacity.
Of course, Ghostbusters: Afterlife already did have an homage to Billy Bryan’s most famous creation in the Mini-Puffs, tiny versions of the monster that tormented Paul Rudd’s hapless character. The Ghostbusters franchise has a lot of famous images, from the barred-out yet friendly ghost logo, the tricked-out Ectomobile, and that one really weird scene with Dan Aykroyd and a ghost, but it can be argued that the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is the most recognizable of them all.
There are only a few details available about the upcoming Ghostbusters sequel, but now at least we know one famous villain is coming back. Jason Reitman, who directed Ghostbusters: Afterlife and is returning to write and produce, has hinted that he would like to involve Vigo the Carpathian, the main villain of the second film at some point, but there is no confirmation whether that will happen this time around. While original Vigo actor Wilhelm von Homburg died in 2004, this is a franchise that deals with ghosts, so Reitman can probably figure it out.
It has already been announced that Jason Reitman is passing directorial duties on the new Ghostbusters movie to Gil Kenan, who is best known for the 2006 CGI children’s horror film Monster House. Kenan also co-wrote Ghostbusters: Afterlife with Reitman, so at least he has some existing familiarity with the franchise. This will make Gil Kenan the fourth director to helm a Ghostbusters movie, after Ivan Reitman (the first two installments), Paul Feig (the controversial 2016 reboot), and the younger Reitman.
One of the few plot points that are known about the upcoming sequel is that it will return the action to New York City, where it all began. Ghostbusters: Afterlife took a left turn for the series by relocating to rural Oklahoma; whether the change in location was key to the success of the movie will have to be seen.
For many years, the Ghostbusters franchise was one of Hollywood’s white whales. After the 1989 sequel (a relative disappointment compared to the success of the original), the series went dormant for decades, with Dan Aykroyd perpetually announcing plans for a third movie in just a few years. The 2016 reboot led by Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy became an unlikely cultural hot topic, causing the planned series to be de facto canceled. However, we are definitely getting a new Ghostbusters movie soon, and seems like Stay Puft is back too.
