Bring out the proton beams, we’re back on the hunt for phantoms, ghosts and all kinds of terrifying devils. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” will premiere in German cinemas on March 21, 2023. It was fitting that FILMSTARTS editor Stefan Geisler had the opportunity to speak with filmmakers Gil Kenan (“Monster House”).
There’s a special pressure on his shoulders because it’s the first time a ghost hunter movie isn’t directed by Ivan or his son Jason Reitman – the little-loved 2016 ‘Ghostbusters’ reboot is excluded here, because it is was the case. its own thing anyway. Naturally, the new film will be viewed very critically, especially after the successful revival of the franchise with ‘Ghostbusters: Legacy’ in 2021…
Gil Kenan: No, not at all yet. But we’re only at the beginning of the interviews. (laughs) And the answer is: yes, I do. And I have had my experiences with the unknown. I was actually open to the potential of the supernatural from an early age. I was a very sensitive child and had a number of out-of-body experiences. In one of them I even felt the presence of deceased relatives. This is a very clear memory I made as a child. I have also had experiences where I was very aware of another presence in the room and could sense that they meant me no harm. So I’ve definitely had some experiences. What does it look like for you? Do you believe in ghosts?
Gil Kenan (laughs): You’re still young, there’s still plenty of time for that.
Gil Kenan: First of all, I’m a real fan, my dad took me to see the first Ghostbusters movie when I was seven. And that was the beginning of a lifelong love for these characters for me. And about twenty years ago I went to play hockey, and I put on my skates next to another man. We started talking and discovered that we are both filmmakers. I introduced myself as Gil, he introduced himself as Jason Reitman. And we started a conversation that continues to this day. We started talking about film and realized that this is our life, our passion and our common interest.
Over the years we’ve talked about whether Jason would ever be willing to join the family business of ghostbusting and continue the franchise. And one day, about five or six years ago, Jason started this conversation with me too. He felt it was time to join the family business – and that conversation eventually led to Ghostbusters: Legacy. I feel very privileged to have been there from the start. Watching Jason work so closely with his father as a producer, taking ownership of these characters and this world, and then seeing the film resonate with audiences around the world has been one of the greatest joys of my life as a filmmaker. .
And then we started writing the story for this next chapter. A story we still have with Ivan [Reitman] were able to share shortly before he died. So it’s a very personal relationship for me. Not as personal as Jason, but I have deep love and respect for his family and especially for him as my creative partner, co-writer and producer on this film. So, just as you see on screen, it’s a story about a family, about people who care about each other, who come together to do the impossible.
Gil Kenan: The most important building blocks are mainly the numbers. Jason and I put the Spengler family at the center of these stories when we started writing Legacy. It must be a recognizable, human and emotional journey.
But if you ask me what the DNA of a real Ghostbusters story is, it’s a group of misfits like you and me working together to use all the information they have and the tools they have to create what they need to achieve the impossible. And that means believing in the possibility of the unknown. It means that you have the courage to face real dangers and life-threatening scenarios, and that you are confident and crazy enough to joke about them when your life is on the line. This is the core essence of Ghostbusters.
Gil Kenan: You are absolutely right. We tried to tell a big story with lots of characters. The idea of keeping all these characters constantly moving was one of the challenges of developing the film, but also a lot of fun. There is so much to experience for an enthusiast. Back then, with “The Real Ghostbusters,” every week felt like a new adventure. Every episode there was a new villain and a new mystery. And transferring that to the big screen was very exciting for me as a fan, because the big screen offers completely different possibilities.
Jason and I took cues from things like this series while writing the script and felt empowered to create a completely new villain for this story in Garaka and create a new backstory to learn more about this mystical character. All this is inspired by the creativity and daring of the first animated series.
Another thing I like about the show is that it really went around town a lot, especially in later episodes. They took trips to the suburbs. It felt like the map of this world was growing. And that excites me. Whether it’s leaving New York or going to other countries, I love the idea of pushing the boundaries of ghost hunter stories. Now that we’ve brought her back to New York and anchored her where she belongs, we feel like we now have a chance to stretch our arms a little.
Gil Kenan: I have to say that that wasn’t an explicit goal when we started writing the script. Perhaps that is your own interpretation as an international viewer. (laughs) But it’s definitely something we’ve talked about. And I like the idea because we all know that every culture has its own relationship with the supernatural, with the unknown. It would be an extraordinary opportunity for us to be able to draw on all this wisdom and stories as we write upcoming stories. So the door is open.
Gil Kenan: I could give you a whole list of countries. (laughs) But I’m especially interested in what would happen if we immersed ourselves in the exciting and special mythology of the Asian spirit world. I’m an absolute fan of Japanese haunted house stories and movies. I love this culture’s relationship with the dead. But there are also South American cultures that treat the dead as equals to the living. You could travel to the farthest corners of the world and find extraordinary stories to draw on. If we ever did that, the biggest challenge would be to really limit ourselves to just one culture despite the oversupply.