“Scarier than the other Ghostbusters”: the next Ghostbusters film “will blow your mind!”

A second trailer for Ghostbusters: The Ice Menace has just been revealed. These new images allow us to discover the big villain of the feature film: Garraka, an evil spirit in the vein of Gozer.

Direct sequel to Jason Reitman’s film released in 2021, The Ice Menace is this time directed by Gil Kenan, co-writer of Ghostbusters: Legacy. The latter met Jason Reitman in 2005, the two men each worked on their respective films in neighboring studios and became friends.

Gil Kenan has previously directed the animated film Monster House, the adventure film City of Shadows and the 2015 remake of Poltergeist.

Co-writer of Ghostbusters: The Frozen Men alongside Jason Reitman and Jason Blumenfelg, Kenan was able to work with Ivan Reitman, director of the original saga, before the latter’s death in February 2022.

In The Threat of Ice, the Spengler family returns to where it all began: the iconic New York fire station. They will then have to team up with the original members of Ghostbusters, who have set up a top secret research laboratory to take ghost hunting to the next level.

When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, the two Ghostbusters teams must join forces to protect their homes and save the world from a second ice age.

Led by the original team of ghost hunters and by the new recruits – the family of Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis, died in February 2014) – the feature film is carried by Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Celeste O’Connor, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt and Logan Kim.

Scheduled in our cinemas on April 10, Ghostbusters: The Ice Menace promises us a return to basics and a terrifying ghost hunt, as the director tells us.

We also see in the trailer an ectoplasm well known to fans of the franchise: Slimer, who crosses Finn Wolfhard at the end of the video.

On the occasion of the launch of the trailer, we were able to speak with Gil Kenan who returns to the links of this opus with the original saga and tells us about the big bad guy of the film: Garraka.

AlloCiné: How does this second opus differ from the previous one?

Gil Kenan: The Ice Menace will blow your mind! It’s an epic movie and it’s scarier than the other Ghostbusters. The dangers are more enormous and perilous.

We wanted to move up a gear with this film and reinvent this franchise dear to so many people. We will witness the birth of a supernatural force with Phoebe Spengler played by McKenna Grace.

At the end of the previous film, we see the family heading towards Manhattan and we understand why the film takes place, this time, in New York, in homage to the films of the 80s. We are currently releasing a limited series of comics which will explain in more detail what happened between the previous film and this one. The passage from Oklahoma to Manhattan.

This will also help us understand the new synergy existing between the various protagonists of this family of ghost hunters.

Garraka is a bit like the new Gozer but more dangerous

And then, of course, we have a new villain, Garraka, who will make you tremble. We also see it a little more in the new trailer. Garraka is a centuries-old evil force. He was trapped in an object. The character played by Kumail Nanjiani will be at the origin of the discovery of this object.

For comparison, Garraka is a bit like the new Gozer of the old “Ghostbusters”. Except that Garraka is the most dangerous of all the ghosts in the other films. It has the power to turn our deepest fears against us and destroy us from the inside out. It can act on a person or an entire community.

Sony Pictures

AlloCiné: This film pays homage to the 1984 feature film…

Gil Kenan: Indeed, by bringing the action of this film to New York, it creates a clear parallel with the first film whose action took place in Manhattan. We wanted to rediscover the state of mind and the magic of the first opus of this franchise.

And then you will see that, like the team in the 1984 film who were treated as outsiders by the population, the new team of ghost hunters is also seen as outsiders.

AlloCiné: What was the biggest challenge for you on set?

Gil Kenan : The whole film was an incredible challenge! There is one scene in particular that was truly a perilous exercise. But I don’t want to reveal it now so as not to spoil the pleasure of the spectators.

What I can say is that the moments when you have all your main actors in the same scene are moments of real challenge and pure pleasure, given the quality of talent you have to direct. You really have to be extremely precise in order to keep everything in complete sync.

These are incredible, emotional moments because it all started with a script, written with Jason Reitman, and now it’s all coming to life and you’re the director. It’s surreal, it’s incredible to experience moments like this.

Sony Pictures

Especially since I’m still that kid who was a fan of films made in the 80s. I was 8 years old at the time. I had just arrived in Los Angeles with my family and I remember that Ghostbusters was in theaters for more than four months when it was released in 1984. Unheard of.

I remember seeing it with my father at the legendary Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. So to have the chance now to be part of this franchise, which I love so much, is something unthinkable. My life is a movie.

AlloCiné: Ivan Reitman, the creator and director of the first films, left us in 2022. Did this have an impact on the production of this film?

Gil Kenan: His influence and his soul hover over our film without a doubt. Ivan really guided me in creating the script for the previous film.

Ivan Reitman had a huge impact on this film

In addition, we were lucky enough to be able to explain the entire story of The Ice Threat to him and get his opinion before he left us. So, yes, Ivan Reitman had a huge impact on this film and in the entire Ghostbusters series.

AlloCiné: The original ghost hunters are back in The Ice Menace, they will help the new generation. How did you feel seeing them in front of your camera?

Gil Kenan: We managed to make the ghost hunters from the old films and the Spengler family coexist in perfect harmony. I learned the art of comedy from phenomenal actors like Dan Aykroyd And Bill Murray. It’s amazing that after all these years their creative genius is still going strong.

Sony Pictures

Without forgetting Annie Potts who reprises the role of Janine Melnitz that she had in the 1984 Ghostbuster! Seeing the three of them together takes me back to my youth when they were saving the world from final destruction.

In this part, Peter Venkman, the character played by Bill Murray, is a professor, a wise man, a legendary ghost hunter. He has lost none of his courage. He’s ready to put the uniform back on and go bust the ghost when necessary.

AlloCiné: The young actor Finn Wolfhard, famous thanks to the series Stranger Things, is also back.

Gil Kenan: Quite. We can also see certain parallels between the 80s universe of Ghostbusters and that of Stranger Things. These are worlds with fantastic creatures and with quite similar dark humor. You will follow Trevor’s trajectory in this film and I think you will be surprised by the evolution of this character.