While it will hardly go down as a sci-fi comedy classic, Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) is still a solid entry in the main series of Ghostbusters films — even if it plays things annoyingly safe by relying on nostalgia like a Ghostbuster would a proton pack in any given supernatural situation, with its need to feature as many legacy cameos as possible being its worst crime.
But Afterlife wasn’t the first film in the series to shoehorn in several franchise veterans — the widely hated reboot Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016) featured Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Annie Potts, despite the fact none of them played their respective characters from Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989).
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And with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) shaping up to be the most populated installment so far, as it combines the Afterlife ensemble with all the legacy characters from those first two films, which gives us a ten-strong team of paranormal investigators and eliminators, there might not be any room left for any other familiar faces to show up.
As for future sequels beyond the upcoming film, director/writer Gil Kenan recently told SFX Magazine, “There are a lot of characters in the three precedingGhostbusters stories,” adding, “We already have a lot of story and characters to juggle, and it was really important for us that when characters come back they’re able to have a real story, real arcs.”
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“So, if anybody’s not featured in this film [Frozen Empire],” he went on, “it’s only because this particular story wants to make full use of the characters that we do bring out.” He added, “We’ve got more stories to tell in the future. Nothing is off the table. We had a duty to make those legendary characters integral to this story rather than just feature them in cameos.”
Kenan’s comments sound slightly odd considering Bill Murray (Peter Venkman), Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore), Dan Aykroyd (Ray Stantz), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz), and Sigourney Weaver (Dana Barrett) barely get any screentime in the 2021 sequel, showing up in fleeting scenes that have very little impact on the overall film. But perhaps the filmmakers have learned a few things since then.
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So, whether the director is keeping his cards close to his chest for Frozen Empire (mid-credits and post-credits scenes are inevitable) or he’s saving some of the franchise’s most beloved characters for a future sequel, who else might we see return? Well, there are plenty of Ghostbusters characters who are yet to be given the “legacy character” treatment.
Dana Barrett — Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, and Afterlife
Last year, Sigourney Weaver told Collider she hadn’t been asked to appear in Frozen Empire. Though a lot might have changed since then, she was only given the honor of appearing in Afterlife‘s mid-credits scene, which is so inconsequential it could have easily been left out of the film. Obviously, we’re glad it wasn’t, but Weaver deserves a lot more.
Dana Barrett may return in Frozen Empirebecause, as her Afterlife cameo suggests, she’s still in a relationship with Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), despite the fact their romance was very off-and-on in the first two films (which was all part of the charm). Will the “Gatekeeper” return? Well, if she does, it had better not be another mid or post-credits cameo.
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Louis Tully — Ghostbusters andGhostbusters II
Ghostbusters fans have been dying to see Rick Moranis reprise his role as Louis Tully in the Ghostbusters franchise since Ghostbusters II was released in 1989. While the bumbling accountant has since returned in the animated series The Real Ghostbusters (1986 — 1991) and the IDW Publishing comic book series, Moranis himself has yet to return to the fold.
It’s common knowledge that Moranis retired from acting in the early ’90s following a personal tragedy. However, the 70-year-old actor is expected to reprise his role as Wayne Szalinski in the upcoming Disney+ series Shrunk (TBA), which is based on the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids movies, so he may also return as the Keymaster in Ghostbustersone day.
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Kylie Griffin — Extreme Ghostbusters
There are several Ghostbusters characters yet to get the silver-screen treatment, and perhaps the most notable character from the animated side of the franchise is Kylie Griffin, one of the four leads in the dark and edgy animated series Extreme Ghostbusters (1997), in which she’s voiced by Tara Strong. But is Griffin finally set to make her live-action debut?
Like many other characters, Griffin became a regular in the IDW Publishing comic book series as both a Ghostbuster and assistant at Ray Stantz Occult Bookstore. As it reintroduces the store, Afterlife missed the perfect opportunity to feature her, so let’s hope that Frozen Empire rights this wrong and brings the blue-haired icon back into the fold.
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The 2016 Reboot Crew — Answer the Call
While the 2016 reboot Answer the Call is a reviled film that many fans pretend doesn’t exist, Sony Pictures may not be done with it just yet. With Multiverses continuing to trend in film, there may be room for some of the film’s characters to return, and there’s nothing stopping that from happening in Frozen Empire or a future Ghostbusters sequel.
We know what you’re thinking — why would Sony risk sabotaging future Ghostbusters films by associating the main timeline with that of the reboot? Well, stranger things have happened in other franchises. That said, the 2016 film has some salvageable parts, with Kristen Wiig’s Erin Gilbert and Kate McKinnon’s Jillian Holtzmann wielding plenty of potential.
Check out the domestic trailer for Frozen Empire below, per Sony Pictures:
Related: ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Trailer Breakdown
Per the official website, here’s the synopsis for the film:
InGhostbusters: 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 stars Carrie Coon (Callie Spengler), Paul Rudd (Gary Grooberson), McKenna Grace (Phoebe Spengler), Finn Wolfhard (Trevor Spengler), Celeste O’Connor (Lucky Domingo), Logan Kim (Podcast), Dan Aykroyd (Ray Stantz), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz), William Atherton (Walter Peck), Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore), Bill Murray (Peter Venkman), James Acaster (Lars Pinfield), Patton Oswalt (Dr. Hubert Wartzki), Kumail Nanjiani (Nadeem Razmaadi), and Emily Alyn Lind in an undisclosed role.
The film will be released in theaters on March 22, 2024.
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Over on the animated side of the franchise, the first issue in a brand-new, four-part comic book series titled Ghostbusters: Back in Town (2024) from Dark Horse Comics, which bridges the gap between Afterlife and the new film, will be released on March 27, while aGhostbusters animated series and a Ghostbusters animated movie are in production.
Here on the live-action side of things, Ghostbusters is expected to return to Universal Studios theme parks, and later this year, the original Ghostbusters will return to theaters in front of a live orchestra.
Which legacy characters would you like to see return in the Ghostbusters franchise? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
