"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" merges original cast and new talent 40 years after the movie premiered
Returning to the supernatural streets of New York in "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," the original "Ghostbusters" cast — actors Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts — bravely confronted not just a new ghostly threat, but their old nemesis: Those massive proton packs.
"Wearing the damn packs, they are really heavy," said Murray. "Wearing the pack a long time ago was miserable. Wearing the pack now is like torture."
In a mix of past and present, the iconic crew from the 1984 classic "Ghostbusters" has joined forces with newcomers Paul Rudd and Mckenna Grace, 40 years after it was first released.
The original film featured the actors as a group of scientists who start a ghost-catching business in New York City. The movie became one of the highest-grossing films of the 1980s, but it also left a lasting impact on pop culture.
Murray recalled receiving the initial "Ghostbusters" script draft, which was around 27 pages long. He mentioned reading it early in the morning, around 5:30 a.m., and immediately deciding to participate, saying, "Okay, I'm in."
The cast reunited for the sequel film "Ghostbusters II" in 1989 and then reunited in 2021 for the movie "Ghostbusters: Afterlife."
Murray and the rest of the original crew, who are now in their 70s, joked about feeling their age while working on the movie.
"We laugh a lot about how, you know, we'd finish a take where you have to walk up a flight of stairs or something, and we just stare at each other like, 'The final one, this is it, right?'" said Murray.
Paul Rudd returns in the new movie as Gary Grooberson, a teacher who knows of the legacy of the original "Ghostbusters." While Rudd has an extensive career that includes movies like "Clueless" and "AntMan," he said he is in awe when in the midst of the original "Ghostbusters" crew.
"It's incredible," said Rudd. "I mean, even right now, just sitting with all of them. I mean, it's unreal. I mean, I feel like you know, I've gotten to know them now over the last years, but it's still I'm such a fan of every single person on this couch."
Grace plays Egon Spengler's granddaughter, keeping the late Harold Ramis' spirit alive in a story that continues the "Ghostbusters" legacy. She told "CBS Mornings" that she has a fond childhood memory of visiting the Sony lot for an audition and taking a moment to pose with Ecto-1 the "Ghostbusters" car.
"It's funny talking about the movie and being a 'Ghostbuster' whenever I'm with you guys, because I'm like, am I saying the right thing?" Grace said. "Am I allowed to speak on behalf of a 'Ghostbuster?'"
"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" hits theaters on March 22.