New Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Trailer Continues to Play Into Nostalgia

The gang is all back in the new trailer for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire that dropped today. And by “the gang,” we literally mean almost every person/ghost that has ever touched this franchise outside of Vigo the Carpathian.

While the first film in this rebooted franchise, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, delivered a somewhat nostalgic trip, with cameos from the original Ghostbusters at the end of the film, it appears that Ghostbusters: Frozen City is going all out on the callbacks. The movie brings the new generation of Ghostbusters – Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon), Trevor Spengler (Finn Wolfhard), and Phoebe Spengler (McKenna Grace) – to New York City, where they’re busting ghosts just like their forebears did in the original firehouse. However, the Ghostbusters are once again in threat of being shut down by Walter Potts, a man who didn’t learn his lesson in the original films, as a big, evil ghost is releasing a frozen hell on the city.

Cue the return of Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) in what seem to be much larger roles. However, they’re not the only ones coming back, as Annie Potts is gearing up as Janine and actually getting to bust some ghosts this time around. Not only that, but Slimer is back and sliming again as well. Don’t worry, though – they’ll still have old actors to bring back for the third film, as Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis are not returning (as far as we know) for this movie.

Jaded film critic aside, the trailer for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire does make the movie look pretty fun, and the fact that they let Bill Murray make at least one mature joke in there gives a bit of hope that they’re playing more into the adult humor that permeated throughout the original film. And that may be helpful, as this will be the first Ghostbusters film not directed by a Reitman (outside of the underrated all-female reboot), as Jason Reitman has handed over directing duties to his co-writer Gil Kenan.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will release in theaters on Mar. 22.