The new “Ghostbusters” movie features a surprise shoutout to Central New York.
SUNY Cortland said on Facebook that “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” reveals what happened to the original “Ghostbusters” after saving New York City more than three decades ago. Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) says Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) went on to teach at SUNY Cortland, becoming professor emeritus of advertising and promotion at the State University of New York school.
“How cool was the SUNY Cortland mention in Ghostbusters: Afterlife?” SUNY Cortland’s official Facebook page said Wednesday. “Truth be told, we’ve already got some incredible professors in our Communication and Media Studies Department — although it would be very fun to welcome a comedic icon with supernatural talent to Cortland!”
It’s unclear where the idea for the Cortland reference came from, but Aykroyd — who co-wrote the script with Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan — visited Cortland at least twice while developing the story.
The Ithaca Voice reported in 2016 that BRIX Pubaria in Cortland is one of just a handful of bars and restaurants in the state that carries Aykroyd’s high-end Crystal Head Vodka, known for its skull-shaped bottle. The former “Saturday Night Live” star visited the restaurant in January 2016 while driving to Aykroyd’s home near the Canadian border, and also visited BRIX in 2014.
Dan Aykroyd, left, and Bill Murray attend the premiere of "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" at AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is a sequel to the original “Ghostbusters” films, separate from the female-led 2016 reboot, that focuses on a single mom (Carrie Coon) and her two children (Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard) moving to an old farmhouse in Oklahoma that they inherited. The teens investigate supernatural events in town and soon discover ties to the original Ghostbusters, which were based in NYC.
The new movie, released last week, is directed by Jason Reitman, the son of original director Ivan Reitman, and includes appearances by original cast members Aykroyd, Murray, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts and Sigourney Weaver. The film also stars Paul Rudd and pays tribute to Harold Ramis, who died in 2014.
This image released by Sony Pictures shows Mckenna Grace and Logan Kim, left, in a scene from "Ghostbusters: Afterlife." (Sony Pictures via AP)
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” opened with $44 million last weekend, exceeding expectations and unseating Disney’s “Eternals” for the No. 1 spot at the box office. The fourth installment in the “Ghostbusters” franchise, delayed more than a year by the Covid-19 pandemic, projected to gross $30 million to $35 million in its debut.
The first “Ghostbusters” opened in 1984 and featured Stantz, Venkman and Egon Spengler (Ramis) as professors of parapsychology at Columbia University. They’re fired by the college after encountering their first ghost at the New York Public Library, and subsequently launch “Ghostbusters” to investigate paranormal activity in NYC and capture ghosts.
SUNY Cortland shared images of Murray Photoshopped to look like he’s on the Cortland campus on Facebook and Instagram.