15 NOW PLAYING WHAT’S IN THE THEATERS AROUND EASTERN OREGON OCTOBER 20�27, 2021 ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ stars share how new movie expands franchise’s legacy By Peter Sblendorio New York Daily News N EW YORK — It wasn’t hard for the stars of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” to get into the spirit of the beloved movie franchise. Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace and other cast newcomers relished adding another chapter to a fi lm series that began in 1984 with the story of parapsychologists catching ghosts in New York City. “I think what people don’t remember about the original fi lm so much is that it was very innova- tive for its time,” Coon said during a New York Comic Con panel on Friday, Oct. 8. “This was one of the fi rst times we had comedy and action and horror in one fi lm. Nobody had read anything quite like that before, so when somebody calls and says, ‘You’re going to be part of the new ‘Ghostbusters’ movie,’ I think you just say, ‘Yes.’” Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Sony Pictures/TNS Carrie Coon, left, Finn Wolfhard, center, and Mckenna Grace speak onstage during the “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” cast and fi lmmakers panel at New York Comic Con on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, in New York City. Coon, 40, stars as Callie, the daughter of ghostbuster Egon Spengler, portrayed by the late Harold Ramis in the fi rst two fi lms. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” — in theaters Nov. 19 — follows Callie and her two children, portrayed by Wolfhard and Grace, as they move to a farmhouse in Summerville, Oklahoma, and uncover secrets about their family as paranormal phenomena wreaks havoc in the small town. Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler on the supernatural Net- fl ix series “Stranger Things,” only knew he was being considered for a movie directed by Jason Reitman when he tried out for the fi lm. “I had no idea what I was auditioning for, but what’s bril- liant about it is that it wasn’t like a scene with action or anything,” said Wolfhard, 18. “It wasn’t like a talking-about-ghosts scene. It was just a scene between a ... brother and a little sister.” The fi lm brings back original “Ghostbusters” stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson, while giving big roles to new char- acters like Wolfhard’s Trevor and Stop by the Chamber office for your free gift Take a picture of you and your family at the Conestoga Wagon at the viewpoint above Prairie City and tag us on Instagram @grant_county_oregon_chamber! Grace’s Phoebe. “She’s just this weird, awkward little girl,” Grace, 15, said of her character. “She has her brother and her mom, but she’s diff erent from them, you know? And she goes to this farmhouse and she kind of is fi nding out who her family was and connecting to her grand- father, who she never knew.” Reitman — whose father, Ivan Reitman, directed “Ghostbusters” and “Ghostbusters II” — is a two- time best director Oscar nominee, for “Juno” and “Up in the Air.” He said he was often asked if he’d ever consider directing a “Ghostbusters” movie, and ulti- mately he came up with a vision to continue the series. “We wanted another ‘Ghost- busters’ movie,” Jason Reitman said. “We wanted to get back into Ecto-1 again. We wanted to pick up the proton pack again, and that’s where it came from.” The new fi lm also stars Paul Rudd as the local schoolteacher Mr. Grooberson, as well as Celeste O’Connor and Logan Kim as two of the kids in Summerville who get caught up in the movie’s mysteries. The stars are excited for audiences to experience “Ghost- busters: Afterlife” after the much- anticipated movie, originally slated for a July 2020 release, was forced into multiple delays during the COVID-19 pandemic. “For me, the most amazing part about being a part of this franchise is the legacy behind it,” Wolfhard said, “and feeling like you’re actu- ally part of a family.” SPOOKTACULAR DAILY SPECIALS - TO DIE FOR DEALS GET YOUR ON LINE LOTTERY AND OREGON SCRATCH TICKETS HERE! 214 W North St. • Enterprise, OR • 541-426-4824 Safe T Transport Company NOW HIRING DRIVERS! Chamber of Commerce www.gcoregonlive.com 301 W. Main Street, John Day, OR 541-575-0547 541-276-6813 Dispatcher@safettransport.com