The Ghostbusters: Afterlife (watch it HERE) sequel Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (which, of course, also serves as a sequel to the original Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II) is set to reach theatres on March 22nd – and in the build-up to that release date, Empire has been sharing a huge amount of images from the film and interview quotes from the cast members. The latest Empire images to make their way online feature the OG Ghostbusters, the iconic ghost Slimer, returning characters from Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and some brand new additions to the franchise. You can check them out at the bottom of this article.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife stars Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace are back for the sequel, reprising the roles of Trevor and Phoebe. They’re joined in the cast by Carrie Coon, playing Trevor and Phoebe’s mom Callie; Paul Rudd, back as his Afterlife character Gary Grooberson; William Atherton as Walter Peck, the antagonistic EPA inspector from the first Ghostbusters film; Celeste O’Connor as Trevor’s friend Lucky Domingo; Logan Kim as Phoebe’s friend Podcast; Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz; and new additions Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), Patton Oswalt (The King of Queens), James Acaster (Hypothetical), and Emily Alyn Lind (Doctor Sleep). And yes, original Ghostbusters Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson are in the film as well, possibly with more prominent roles than they had in the previous movie.
At first, Afterlife director Jason Reitman was expected to take the helm of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, once again directing from a screenplay he was writing with Gil Kenan – but then it was revealed that Kenan will actually be directing the new film. He previously directed the animated movie Monster House, the live-action films City of Ember, A Boy Called Christmas, and the remake of Poltergeist, and an episode of the Scream TV series.
Speaking with Empire, Hudson said his character “Winston’s a wealthy guy now, and he’s funding research into new technology and the science behind ghostbusting. When the world is threatened… Who you gonna call? He suits up with the rest of them.” As for Aykroyd’s character Ray, Aykroyd revealed, “Ray’s been retired! He’s got fitness problems, insurance problems – Winston’s the shot-caller now and he decides Ray should step back from the ghostbusting frontline and just be an advisor. Ray does not like this. Gozer’s gone, but there’s an equally terrible threat emerging from Queens – by way of the Indus Valley – and Ray wants to be out there, driving the Cadillac.“
The biggest reason why we went decades without a new Ghostbusters movie was Bill Murray’s reluctance to come back as Peter Venkman. But he came back for a small amount of screentime in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and apparently it wasn’t difficult to get him back for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Reitman told Empire, “Bill had always been hesitant [about coming back to Ghostbusters], and for good reason: his bar for greatness is very high. But he loves Gil and has history with him [on 2008’s City Of Ember], so there was no question he’d be here [for Frozen Empire].“
As for what it was like to direct the film, Kenan said, “Not a day went by when I didn’t ask myself, ‘How would (Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II director Ivan Reitman) handle this?’ I wanted that same approach to character, comedy and scares he had on the first two Ghostbusters. This one feels more connected to those movies than Afterlife was.“
Are you looking forward to Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire? Take a look at the images below, then let us know by leaving a comment.