New Live-Action ‘Ghostbusters’ Movie Reportedly in the Works, and the Title Hints at a Holiday Scare

For a franchise that has been busy on the animation side, the live-action ‘Ghostbusters’ world has been quiet for a while. Since ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ arrived in 2024, Sony has not greenlit another live-action installment, even though director Gil Kenan and actress Annie Potts have both teased that more was coming.

The history helps explain the caution. Four live-action films have been made within the same continuity, not counting the 2016 female-led reboot, and the two most recent entries made similar money, with ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ grossing $204.3 million on a $75 million budget and ‘Frozen Empire’ grossing $202 million on $100 million.

Now a new report suggests that wait may be ending. According to scooper Daniel Richtman, who shared the scoop on his Patreon on Monday, Sony is developing a new live-action ‘Ghostbusters’ movie titled ‘Ghostbusters: Nightmare on 34th Street.’

A new live-action ‘Ghostbusters’ film is reportedly in the works. • Titled ‘GHOSTBUSTERS: NIGHTMARE ON 34TH STREET’ • Written by Josh Miller (‘Sonic’ Movies) (Via: @DanielRPK) https://t.co/frU8Xqk9Xi

— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) October 6, 2026

Richtman says the screenplay is being written by Josh Miller. He added that he assumes this is the same Josh Miller behind the ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ movies, though that identification has not been confirmed.

If it is, Miller writes with his partner Pat Casey, and the duo wrote all 3 ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ films, with a fourth arriving in March. They also wrote ‘Violent Night,’ in which David Harbour’s Santa Claus takes on mercenaries on Christmas Eve. Richtman named only Miller, so it is unknown whether Casey is involved.

Details are thin, and no director, cast or plot has been named. It is also unclear whether the film will follow the main continuity or stand on its own. As several outlets have stressed, the project should be treated as a rumor until Sony confirms it.

The title does offer clues. It appears to play on ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’ the 1947 Christmas classic set around Macy’s in New York, while borrowing from ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street.’ Since 34th Street is also a real New York address, ComicBook.com suggests the franchise could be leaning into a genuine holiday horror installment.

That would not be a stretch for the series. ‘Ghostbusters II’ unfolds around Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and some of the best episodes of ‘The Real Ghostbusters’ are built around holidays, including ‘X-Mas Marks the Spot’ and ‘When Halloween Was Forever.’ Dread Central’s Brad Miska also wondered whether the film might reference a ‘Real Ghostbusters’ story such as ‘Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream,’ though nothing like that has been confirmed.

The report lands as the franchise expands in other directions. ‘Ghostbusters: Night Shift,’ an animated Netflix series, is slated for 2027 and is set in New York in 1994, 5 years after ‘Ghostbusters II,’ following a young, untrained crew forced to pick up proton packs when a new supernatural threat emerges. Jason Reitman, Gil Kenan and Dan Aykroyd are among its executive producers.

Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation are also developing a separate animated feature, reportedly titled ‘Ecto,’ which is said to be told from a ghost’s perspective. Kris Pearn, director of ‘The Willoughbys,’ was previously reported as attached to direct.

Where the live-action film would fall on the timeline is also unknown. ComicBook.com says it seems most likely to sit in the contemporary part of the continuity, while allowing that it could even be a reboot. ‘Frozen Empire’ brought back the ‘Afterlife’ cast of Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Logan Kim and Celeste O’Connor alongside the legacy Ghostbusters, but it is not clear who would return.

For now, fans have a title, a writer and a lot of speculation. A Sony announcement would settle whether this is a sequel, a spinoff or something entirely new, and whether it really is the holiday horror story the name implies.

A Christmas-themed ‘Ghostbusters’ with a horror edge would certainly be a bold swing, and the franchise has proven it can balance scares with laughs.

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