2024 is an exciting year for movie fans, with many blockbuster films scheduled to hit theaters. One of the most highly-anticipated of those films is Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which is coming to the big screen in March.
The second trailer made its way online on the 29th of January, and it looks fantastic, with fans drooling at the prospect of the movie’s release.
The sequel to 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife is also a sequel to 1984’s Ghostbusters and 1989’s Ghostbusters II and will feature characters from all three of its predecessors. Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd’s Ray Stantz, Ernie Hudson’s Winston Zeddemore, Annie Potts’ Janine Melnitz, William Atherton’s Walter Peck, Paul Rudd’s Gary Grooberson, Carrie Coon’s Callie Spengler, Finn Wolfhard’s Trevor Spengler, and Mckenna Grace’s Phoebe Spengler are just some of the characters who’ll be returning to the popular franchise.
But which other characters from the three movies that came before Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire would it be cool to see making surprise appearances in the film? This piece will take a look at five of them.
Jack Hardemeyer (Kurt Fuller)
Kurt Fuller played antagonist Jack Hardemeyer in Ghostbusters II. Hardemeyer was the assistant to New York City’s Mayor Lenny Clotch. He despised the Ghostbusters, and when they tried to inform Clotch of Vigo’s evil supernatural plans, he had them committed to a psychiatric hospital. When the eponymous quartet finally convinced Clotch of what was happening, he fired Hardemeyer. The character will undoubtedly still hold a grudge against the Ghostbusters, and having him team up with the first movie’s Walter Peck to bring them down would be a nostalgic treat for fans of the franchise.
Janosz Poha (Peter MacNicol)
While Ghostbusters II was vastly inferior to its 1984 predecessor, Peter MacNicol’s Janosz Poha was a real highlight and remains one of the franchise’s best characters. Equally irritating and likable, Janosz was Dana Barrett’s boss at the Manhattan Museum of Art. He became an enforced servant of Vigo the Carpathian when the 16th-century tyrant plotted to return and conquer the world. Even a cameo from MacNicol as Janosz would be most welcome in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – but it would be hilarious if he became a servant of the movie’s villain again.
Ivor Shandor (J.K. Simmons)
Ivo Shandor appeared in name only in the first Ghostbusters movie. It wasn’t until 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife that he appeared on screen, when J.K. Simmons portrayed his corpse and, briefly, the resurrected character. Shandor was the man who engineered the coming of Gozer, but Simmons was tragically wasted as the character, as he was killed off no sooner than he came back to life. Having Shandor reappear and having some involvement in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s events would be fabulous. Of course, the world of Ghostbusters means his death means very little. He could undoubtedly reappear in the form of a spook.
Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver)
Sigourney Weaver cameoed as Dana Barrett at the end of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but there’s no sign of her appearing in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire just yet – and it would be a shame if she didn’t. Barrett first comes into the Ghostbusters’s lives in the first movie when her apartment is the conduit for the coming of Gozer, and she becomes the object of Peter Venkman’s affections before being possessed by Zuul. In the sequel, her infant son, Oscar, becomes the target of Vigo, who wants to use his body to be reborn. Ghostbusters: Afterlife revealed she’d married Venkman, so an appearance alongside him in the upcoming movie makes sense. Hopefully, it happens, and audiences will see her iconic character again.
Louis Tully (Rick Moranis)
Following the tragic death of his wife, Ann Belsky, Rick Moranis took a long break from acting to look after their children. His last movie credit was Honey, 2006’s Brother Bear 2, and the last time he appeared in live-action was in 1997’s Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. However, he announced his intention to return to acting in a sequel to the latter called Shrunk, but production halted due to COVID-19, and there isn’t a confirmed release date. Still, given Moranis’ decision to appear in the film, could he be in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire? Fans certainly hope so.
He first appeared as Louis Tully in Ghostbusters. Tully was an accountant and Dana Barrett’s neighbor who got inadvertently caught up in the return of Gozer when Vinz Clortho possessed him. He returned as the eponymous team’s accountant and reluctant defense counsel in Ghostbusters II, where he also donned the Ghostbusters attire and equipment. Now that the Ghostbusters are reformed and back operating in New York City, it would be a wonderful surprise to see Tully as their accountant again. Here’s hoping Moranis is up for it.
