In a wave of schedule changes put out by Sony on Friday, the studio announced that the sequel to “Ghosbusters: Afterlife” will move from its original December 20, 2023, release date to next Easter weekend 2024. Insiders at the studio said this is not related to the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike but simply because the date is open.
They’re also pushing the Neill Blomkamp-directed racing car film “Gran Turismo” two weeks from its original August 8 release to August 25. Sneak previews of the film, starring David Harbour and Orlando Bloom, will screening in select cities on the weekends of August 11 and 18 to build up word of mouth.
However, the dual strike is affecting the studio’s fall releases. Sony will also move the Aaron Taylor-Johnson comic book feature “Kraven the Hunter” out of its initial Oct. 6 date to August 30, 2024. The next “Spider-Verse” sequel, “Beyond the Spider-Verse” will move to a later date next year when it’s hoped the actors can record their dialogue. It was originally set to release March 29, 2024.
With both strikes showing no signs of slowing down, it’s unclear whether this is the first domino in studios reorganizing their fall slates this year, in the hopes of releasing titles in 2024 when the actors and writers can do publicity for them.
Sony gave the “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” sequel a greenlight in April 2022. The feature, starring Paul Rudd, had a modest box office run but did well domestically, with $129.3 million grossed in North America and $197.3 million worldwide. The sequel was described as “the next chapter in the original ‘Ghostbusters’ universe,” after a post-credits scene in “Afterlife” in which original Ghostbuster Winston Zeddermore, played by Ernie Hudson, teased a possible reunion with his teammates.
“Gran Turismo” tells the story of Jann Mardenborough (played by “Midsommar” star Archie Madekwe), a British teenager who in 2011 entered GT Academy, an esports tournament created to find “Gran Turismo” players who were good enough at the game to be able to competitively drive real-life race cars. Mardenborough was victorious in the GT Academy competition and became a race car driver for Nissan, competing in the Dubai 24 Hour endurance race.
