Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - Exploring the Post-Gozerian Era

The Legacy of Gozer: A Constant Threat

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire director Gil Kenan has explained why infamous franchise villain Gozer won't be coming back despite returning in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The destructive entity served as the main antagonist of the original film, as well as its 2021 sequel. The villain was defeated in both films, though has remained a constant part of the franchise because of how dangerous its paranormal powers are.

Custom image of Dan Aykroyd firing his proton pack in Ghostbusters: Afterlife juxtaposed with an iced-over firehouse headquarters in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.Frozen Empire

Speaking with Empire, though, Kenan confirmed the upcoming Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will not feature Gozer again. The director explained the new movie will be exploring parts of the franchise untouched by previous films, making for a more unique experience that adds to its universe. Because the Spengler family story drove the narrative in Afterlife, bringing Gozer back to center-stage was a natural way to close the book on the past. But we are now in the post-Gozerian era of the Ghostbusters saga, so that means we’re able to stretch out and create an entirely new mythology.

And that’s thrilling as a storyteller, because there are all-new and terrifying stakes with fresh visual references to draw on.

Expanding the Series' Lore: The Death Chill Threat

In the upcoming sequel, the Spengler family featured in Ghostbusters: Afterlife head to New York City to assist the original team in developing new ways of catching ghosts. However, they soon come into contact with an ancient artifact awakening a new villain in the Death Chill, an entity that wants to bring about another Ice Age. The premise of the film underscores how the series' lore will be expanding in new, unexpected ways beyond Gozer being a constant threat.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire's cast is going to bring new and old faces together to face down the Death Chill, with everyone needing to band together in order to defeat it. Much like the previous installment, Billy Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson will be returning as their characters from the first movie. The decision to bring them back indicates just how much of a threat this new ghost will be, requiring multiple generations to band together and defeat it.

Since Gozer won't be coming back in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the true extent of the Death Chill's threat will remain unclear until the movie comes out. However, with New York City frozen over, it's possible this new antagonist will be the strongest the team has ever faced. Even more will be revealed when the film comes out, and the two generations of Ghostbusters do what they can to stop the new threat.

The Anticipation and Release

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire comes out in theaters March 29, 2024.