In exactly two days, Ghostbusters: The Frozen Empire, or SOS Fantômes: The Ice Threat in French, will be released. I had the opportunity to meet some of the film’s cast members three weeks ago when they came to Paris for an advanced screening. This film is a sequel to Ghostbusters Afterlife, or SOS Fantômes: The Inheritance, which was released in December 2021 and was quite a pleasant surprise at the time. I thoroughly enjoyed the film as it successfully blended elements of past heritage with a forward-looking approach featuring a new generation of actors. What stood out exceptionally well in the 2021 film were the performances of the young cast members, particularly the writing and acting of McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, and especially Logan Kim.
On the night before the event at the Grand Rex, I had the opportunity to interview Paul Rudd, known for his role as Ant-Man/Scott Lang in the MCU, McKenna Grace who has grown significantly since her debut, Finn Wolfhard who is recognized as Mike Wheeler from Stranger Things, and Gil Kenan, the film’s director and screenwriter. Kenan is also noted for directing the animated film Monster House (a great film by the way) and the 2015 Poltergeist remake. I asked each of them as many questions as possible within the 5-minute slots allocated per actor, which felt quite brief given how quickly time passes in such settings. I compiled a montage of their responses, including discussions about the decision to bring this second episode back to New York City after it was initially set to take place in Oklahoma’s countryside. Notably, aside from one or two scenes, the film was not actually shot in New York but elsewhere.
I discuss the notably larger presence of the Original Ghostbusters: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson, along with the quality of their character writing. I also address the number of key characters in the film and compare the digital special effects, which are more abundant than those in Afterlife. Additionally, I inquired about their plans for the sequel!
