Even though 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife was among the endless recent legacy franchise installments that actively worked to hand over the story reins to a younger generation, response to the film’s new set of Ghostbusters was notably muted compared to the conversation around the legacy characters, who returned for some distinctly awkward cameos. Harold Ramis’ posthumous appearance in particular was a flashpoint for arguments, though at least Ernie Hudson as Winston finally got his due in the movie.
So it’s no surprise that the first trailer for the direct sequel, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, makes a point of putting Hudson and his fellow legacy Ghostbusters actors Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd on screen, as though to reassure fans that the newbies — Trevor (Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard), Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), and Podcast (Logan Kim), alongside adult helpers Callie (Carrie Coon) and Gary (Paul Rudd) — haven’t fully taken over the story just yet. It is a bit odd, though, that this first teaser foregrounds Patton Oswalt over any of the new or old characters.
This time around, the plot involves a malevolent spirit with ice powers that seems determined to force a Day After Tomorrow scenario, where characters have to run from encroaching cold. Here’s Sony’s opening synopsis of the movie:
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.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will be in theaters on March 29, 2024.