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The new international trailer for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has finally landed, revealing the franchise’s fiendishly frosty return to New York City. Who you gonna call? Yep, the Ghostbusters are back – along with the iconic theme tune, Slimer and marshmallows galore.
In the high-octane trailer, Paul Rudd’s Gary Grooberson and the Spengler family are front and center of the action. Audiences were first introduced to these characters in 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife – but this time around, they're chasing ghosts around the mean streets of Manhattan instead of living the quiet life in rural Oklahoma.
Speaking to Total Film, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire director and co-writer Gil Kenan explains: "The move to Oklahoma in Afterlife was very much by design. We knew we had to get away from New York City in order to recontextualize what it meant to ghost-bust and what it meant to be a Ghostbuster. We wanted to refocus the stories on a character's arc; on the arc of the Spengler family and on Phoebe in particular. We needed to get away from the apparatus of ghostbusting in order to redefine it."
Kenan is chatting to TF after a sneak peek of the new trailer. He continues: "Having done that, the next task was, 'How do you take that discovery? How do you take the path that's been laid out in front of our characters and force them to step into the ring? What does it mean to be a Ghostbuster? What does it mean to be a Ghostbuster in New York City? And specifically, what does it mean to be a Ghostbuster in New York City when the greatest threat ever facing the institution comes to bear?' That’s this story."
The trailer also includes a new look at the ‘sewer dragon’ that the team are going to have to face this time around. Get a closer look at that, below:
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is the first movie in the spirited franchise to be filmed after the sad passing of Ivan Reitman, who directed the first two films and served as a producer/co-writer on 2021’s Afterlife (as well as a producer on the 2016 female reboot). During our post-trailer chat, Kenan reveals that the Ghostbusters icon had been updated on the proposed story of the sequel, as well as the suggested homecoming to Manhattan.
"We were able to pitch the story of this film to Ivan in the months after Afterlife came out," admits Kenan. "Telling him this story and seeing his reaction to it was so beautiful. It definitely felt like it was wind in our sails. As a director, I can only hope to make a film that Ivan would be proud of. I know that [Ivan’s son] Jason – as a producer – stepped up in a huge way to support me, protect me and encourage me in the way that his father did for him on Afterlife."
Fans can also expect the welcome return of Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray and Annie Potts, as well as a story that revolves around the iconic Manhattan firehouse when Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is released in cinemas on March 22. Proton packs at the ready! Look out for more from Kenan in an upcoming issue of Total Film.
For more upcoming movies, check out our breakdown of all the 2024 movie release dates on the way.
