With talk of another Ghostbusters sequel always a topic of discussion, Ernie Hudson reflected on his return in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, its tribute to Harold Ramis, and what direction he’d like to see the franchise take next in a new interview with Comic Book Central, writes our good friend Jason over at Ghostbusters News,
When discussing 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Hudson explained that fans never stopped asking for another film. However, he admitted that he eventually “gave up” on the idea of another sequel. Even the 2016 reboot, which he appeared in, felt separate to him, something he described as “a little different,” noting that he “wasn’t the same character… it was just weird.”
So when Afterlife finally moved forward, Hudson said the reality of it didn’t fully sink in at first, sharing that he “was probably more shocked than the fans,” adding that “right up until the moment we’re shooting, I kept thinking this is gonna fall apart.”
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The experience of suiting up again brought an emotional weight he hadn’t anticipated. Hudson described the moment of returning to set, recalling how “I looked around, and Bill Murray was standing there with his jumpsuit on, and Danny’s there, and across the room Sigourney Weaver’s there and Annie Potts.”
That moment carried a deeper meaning for him, admitting that “it was almost moving, you know, in a strange way,” especially given how central the franchise has been in his life. As Hudson put it, “Ghostbusters has been a part of my life for over half my life. I mean 40 plus years.”
He also spoke about the film’s tribute to Harold Ramis, recalling that while filming, the emotional impact wasn’t fully clear until seeing it on screen. Watching it in theaters, Hudson said the moment was “very moving,” adding that “I can’t imagine a Ghostbusters without Harold Ramis.”
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Reflecting on Ramis’ presence in the original films, Hudson described him as “always the guy who sort of held it together,” saying he learned from watching how Ramis handled success and noting that he was “just a good guy.” Hudson added that he was “very happy in Afterlife that they… did it right.”
Hudson made it clear he’d be open to returning if another installment moves forward, even poking fun at how quickly his name tends to get attached to future projects. As he joked, “Whenever they announce, ‘Oh, we’re gonna do another Ghostbusters, we have Ernie Hudson,’ I go, nobody’s talked to Ernie Hudson. I think I’m so easy. ‘We don’t know about Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, or Sigourney Weaver, but Ernie’s here. I’m in.’”
He also shared his hopes for what the future of the franchise could explore, noting that “the possibilities, you know, there’s ghosts all over the world,” and expressing interest in seeing “just a different take on what we’ve been doing.”
At the same time, Hudson suggested that maintaining the spirit of the original remains key, noting that “I think we should just make it a little bit more irreverent. The first one, it’s like these guys, you know, knuckleheads… just kind of having fun. It was kind of that ‘guy energy’. I know times have changed, but… be a little incorrect.”
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Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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