Gil Kenan to direct next 'Ghostbusters' adventure

Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Monster House and City of Ember filmmaker Gil Kenan has confirmed he will co-write and direct the next installment in the Ghostbusters film franchise.

"It's an absolute honor to pick up the proton pack and step behind the camera for the next chapter of the Spengler family saga," Kenan said in a statement Monday.

"I just wish I could go back to 1984 and tell the kid in the sixth row of the Mann Valley West that one day he was going to get to direct a Ghostbusters film."

Ghostbusters: Afterlife -- the sequel to the supernatural comedies Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989) -- was released last year. It starred Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace.

Kenan co-wrote Afterlife with director Jason Reitman, the son of the late Ivan Reitman who helmed the first two pictures.

The cast of Afterlife is expected to return for the next installment, which Kenan and Reitman co-wrote. Reitman is serving as a producer on the project.

The movie is slated for release on Dec. 20, 2023.