Things Get Chilly In The Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Trailer
Have you ever noticed that no matter how many ghosts get busted, there are always enough left on the loose to make a sequel? The new "Ghostbusters" era continues with "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," an oddly subtitled follow-up to 2021's "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" that's set to continue the story of a new generation of ghost-catchers while also reuniting some of our old favorites. Though we knew it would return to New York City, the plot of "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" has been under wraps since the movie was first announced in 2022 — but fans have been able to piece together a promising cast list based on an interview Winston actor Ernie Hudson gave to The Film Collective earlier this year.
"It's great to be back with Danny [Akroyd] and Bill [Murray] and Annie Potts and the new cast," Hudson let slip, adding, "It's been 40 years, it feels like family." Since then, the question has been whether the returning Ghostbusters will have a major role in the movie or just appear for a quick cameo. Now, with the first trailer for "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" finally here, it seems like some of our questions have been answered.
Getting the ghostbusting gang back together
In addition to the apparently returning core cast, the new sequel also features returning actors Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd reprising their roles from "Ghostbusters: Afterlife." Wolfhard and Grace played the grandchildren of Harold Ramis' Egon Spengler, while Coon played their mother Callie. Rudd, meanwhile, popped up as Gary Grooberson, the kids' teacher and unofficial keeper of legacy sequel lore. The latter two also got caught up in a Gatekeeper and Keymaster situation, thanks to the return of Gozer the Gozerian.
Along with these four, the new movie has also cast comedians Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, and James Acaster, plus "Gossip Girl" and "Doctor Sleep" actor Emily Alyn Lind. /Film's Ethan Anderton pointed out the great comedic potential in Nanjiani and Oswalt's casting, writing that "the addition of comedic powerhouses and beloved nerds like Patton Oswalt and Kumail Nanjiani would seem to signify a turn back towards the comedic side of things," after "Afterlife" turned a bit more toward the drama side.
"Ghostbusters: Afterlife" earned mixed reviews upon release, but it also raked in plenty of dough for Sony during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it seemed like blockbusters might be a thing of the past. The movie also exists beyond the realm of a simple cash grab reboot thanks to its filmmaker's bona fides: "Juno" and "Up in the Air" director Jason Reitman, whose dad is original franchise filmmaker, the late, great Ivan Reitman, directed and co-wrote "Afterlife." The new sequel is set to be directed by Reitman's co-writer Gil Kenan, while Reitman is returning to co-write and produce.
"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" opens exclusively in movie theaters on March 29, 2024.