Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire drops first trailer with original cast

If bustin’ makes you feel good, strap in: the first trailer for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the sequel to Afterlife, has just dropped.

Ghostbusters began as the brainchild of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. After the latter star’s death, with the help of Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ivan Reitman, the project was transformed into a comedy juggernaut and become a pop culture sensation.

Nearly 40 years after the first movie, Ghostbusters is a fully-fledged, still-beloved franchise – but there have not been many movies. There was an underrated sequel in 1989, and it didn’t return to the big screen until 2016’s divisive, dismissed all-female reboot.

And then came 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a revival that introduced new characters while still continuing the canon of the original movies. It was a surprise success, paving the way for a sequel – and it’s just dropped its first trailer.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire reveals first trailer

The official synopsis reads: “In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level.

“But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.”

Frozen Empire sees the return of Afterlife’s stars, including Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Carrie Coon as Callie Spengler, Paul Rudd, and notably, Ernie Hudson reprising his role as Winston. The cast also includes Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, James Acaster, and Emily Alyn Lind.

Aykroyd and Murray returned in the climax of the previous movie (alongside a CGI rendition of Ramis’ Egon Spengler), and both reprise their roles in the sequel.

In an earlier interview with USA Today, Aykroyd said: “‘Id like to die. I think Bill and I should be killed in the next one. Or, maybe we wait. Why not use the living Ghostbusters – Ernie, Billy and myself – for four, five, and six? Go until we’re gone. Then there will be time for the tributes. Death is going to take us soon enough.”

This also marks the first Ghostbusters movie without the involvement of Ivan Reitman, who died in February 2022. Jason Reitman, his son, was originally going to direct Frozen Empire after helming Afterlife, but Gil Kenan took over late last year, with the Juno filmmaker working on the project as a producer.

Kenan, who co-wrote Afterlife, told The Hollywood Reporter: “We had the story before we finished Afterlife. And we have been crafting this with as much care as it took to build Afterlife into a worthy sequel.”

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will hit cinemas on March 29, 2024. You can check out our other Ghostbusters coverage here.