First 'Ghostbusters' trailer pays homage to original

HOLLYWOOD, March 3 (UPI) -- The first full-length trailer for Sony Pictures' Ghostbusters reboot shows the new team fitted with classic jumpsuits, proton packs and a decked-out hearse as they confront dozens of ghosts.

Sony released the clip first to a group of about three dozen die-hard Ghostbusters fans on-site at Sony Pictures in Culver City, Calif. Wednesday before opening it to the public online the following day.

Attended by director Paul Feig, screenwriter Katie Dippold and the original film's director Ivan Reitman, the viewing event reportedly sparked enthusiasm among the attendees, who requested a second viewing of the trailer during their visit.

"I'm so happy for today, to have you guys applauding the trailer," Dippold said at the event. "This man [Feig] has put himself out there, getting the worst tweets. So to see this warm energy from the fans means a lot. He's been thinking of you guys first and foremost."

Although the trailer begins with a mention of the 1986 team, which consisted of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Earnie Hudson and others, Feig reminded fans the new film is not a sequel, but a reboot.

"I didn't like the idea of them being handed technology," he said. "I wanted to see it develop. I'm such a tech head. I'm completely geeking out over these proton packs in the front of the theater."

The upcoming film will see Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones as the new Ghostbusters crew. Wiig plays physicist Erin Gilbert while McCarthy plays paranormal expert Abby Yates.

McKinnon plays nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmaan alongside Jones' Patty Tolan, an MTA worker in New York who lends her street smarts, family hearse and first-hand paranormal experiences to the city's budding ghost-busting business.

Sony's Ghostbusters reboot opens in theaters July 15.