Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard and Ernie Hudson on new film in franchise

Published

2 months ago

March 22, 2024

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Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard reprise their roles as a family and team of ghost catchers in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – this time in the location of the original films, New York City.

The latest addition to the movie franchise sees the original and new generation team up to protect their home from a second Ice Age.

Here are the key things you need to know about the fourth outing of everyone’s favourite 80s ghost hunters.

Ecto-1 or Millennium Falcon?

There wouldn’t be a Ghostbusters film without the iconic Ecto-1.

In the first reboot, Afterlife, the car was found by Wolfhard’s character on the grounds of his late grandfather Elon Spengler’s farm.

With the help of Spengler’s ghost, they repaired it and in Frozen Empire, it returns to the streets of New York.

“I actually got to drive it, it was really unreal,” says Rudd, admitting it was a “tricky” vehicle to manoeuvre.

“It’s almost like you’re driving the [Star Wars spacecraft] Millennium Falcon.”

The Marvel star says that despite this being his second film in the franchise, the excitement never goes away.

The production used two versions of the car for Frozen Empire – remaking one with a Corvette engine for the high-speed shots.

Wolfhard says it was “insanely powerful”, but would constantly overheat and choke as they began to film a scene.

Ghostbusters cast’s friendships

Filming for the new movie took three months, and Rudd says the majority of downtime for the cast was spent together “without mobile phones”.

The Proton packs were so heavy that the crew installed pieces of wood for the cast to rest them on between takes and it gave them the perfect opportunity to get to know each other.

He says he would constantly ask for stories from the originals about the first film.

He has one stand-out memory of Ernie Hudson… his choice of treat.

“Ernie would always have those Tootsie Pops he loved – he had a real sweet tooth,” explains Rudd.

Hudson thinks it’s hilarious that that’s what Rudd remembers of him and adds it was simply to “fight the hunger urge”.

Ghostbusters and Finn Wolfhard’s directorial feature debut

In between filming for Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Frozen Empire, Wolfhard made his directorial feature debut with Hell of a Summer.

The comedy-horror premiered at the Toronto film festival in September last year.

His co-director Billy Bryk also featured in the first reboot as Zahk and the duo began writing the script during its production.

“I’m so in my head now”, says Wolfhard who thinks that going behind the camera has given him some new advantages and disadvantages when it comes to acting.

“I’ll see a scene in my head, I’ll think about what I look like in the future on screen and go, ‘God, you’re such an idiot right now’.”

Jumping into the conversation, Rudd reassures his co-star, calling Wolfhard a “terrific actor and a great director,” but insists that the insecurity around filming never goes away.

‘It crosses a generation’

The first Ghostbusters film was released in 1984 and starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson.

Eddie Murphy was originally intended for the role of Winston Zeddemore but he turned it down to do Beverly Hills Cop.

The role instead went to Hudson who says people still come up to him on the street quoting his character.

Hudson tells Sky News: “In the first Ghostbusters, because the part had been cut down from what the original part was, the guys all sort of came together and gave me a lot of the really good lines.”

The most common quotes he receives are: “It’s a big Twinkie”; “If there’s a steady pay check” and “If someone asks if you’re a God, you say yes.”

The 87-year-old actor says the franchise has always had its fans at the centre – something he believes is responsible for its continued success.

“It crosses a generation and the wonderful thing about Ghostbusters for me is you see a lot of sort of remakes or reboots or sequels, but a lot of times you get the feeling that it’s something the studio wants and not necessarily the fans, you know? But, this is one that I feel like the fans are asking for”.

The American actor says he was delighted to rejoin the cast and crew for Frozen Empire.

The new Ghostbusters’ film is just under two hours long.

And it does have an after-credits scene which suggests this might not be the last we see of the franchise.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is in cinemas now.

Entertainment

Tom Brady vows to be ‘better parent’ after Netflix roast tore into divorce

Published

3 hours ago

May 16, 2024

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Tom Brady vows to be 'better parent' after Netflix roast tore into divorce

Tom Brady has promised to be “a better parent” after a Netflix comedy special poked fun at his divorce.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion appeared on The Roast Of Tom Brady, where comedians like Kevin Hart tore into his split from Gisele Bundchen in 2022 after 13 years.

While the 46-year-old said he “loved when the jokes were about me,” Brady told The Pivot Podcast that he “didn’t like the way it affected my kids”.

“It’s the hardest part about, like the bittersweet aspect of when you do something that you think is one way and then all of a sudden you realise ‘I wouldn’t do that again’ because of the way that it affected, actually, the people I care about the most in the world,” he said.

“It makes you, in some ways, a better parent going through it ’cause again sometimes you are naive. You don’t know, or you get a little like, ‘oh shit’.”

Brady has two children – Benjamin, 14, and Vivian, 11 – with Bundchen. He also is a father to a third child, 16-year-old John, with actress Bridget Moynahan, who he dated until 2006.

‘Single life is what you deserve’

Hart, who hosted the Netflix special, kicked off proceedings by referencing their split, saying: “Single life is what you deserve because you had no choice.

“Gisele gave you an ultimatum. Gisele said ‘you retire or we’re done’. That’s what she said to you, Tom. ‘You retire, or we’re done’.

“Let me tell you something. When you got a chance to go eight, nine, and all it will cost is your wife and your kids, you gotta do what the f*** you gotta do.”

Nikki Glaser also fired jabs at Brady’s divorce, saying: “Five-time Super Bowl MVP, most career wins, most career touchdowns.

“You have seven rings. Well, eight, now that Gisele gave hers back.”

‘Roast taught me a good lesson’

Brady also told the podcast that as a parent, “you just don’t see the full picture all the time,” and added the roast taught him “a good lesson”.

“I’m going to be a better parent as I go forward because of it,” he added. “And at the same time, I’m happy everyone who was there had a lot of fun.”

Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, David Beckham shared he texted Brady to check on him after the roast aired, saying: “I know Tom well and I must admit, I did fire him a message just to check if he was okay.

“He’s more than okay, but yeah, it was hard to watch.”

Brady, who is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback ever, played 20 regular seasons with the New England Patriots and three regular seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, during which he won the Super Bowl seven times and was a three-time runner up.

Entertainment

Stars say Kevin Spacey should return to acting after ‘seven years of exile’

Published

15 hours ago

May 16, 2024

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Stars say Kevin Spacey should return to acting after 'seven years of exile'

Hollywood stars have begun campaigning for Kevin Spacey to resume his acting career “after seven years of exile”.

Sharon Stone, Liam Neeson and Stephen Fry are among the names speaking up for the Oscar-winner following the release of a Channel 4 documentary levelling fresh allegations against 64-year-old Spacey, which he denies.

The Oscar-winning actor was one of Hollywood’s biggest names when allegations of sexual misconduct were made in 2017, leading Netflix to cut all ties with him at the height of his House of Cards fame.

Despite being acquitted of numerous sexual offences after a trial in London, and winning a US civil lawsuit in which he was accused of making an unwanted sexual advance, Spacey said he still feels ostracised from the industry.

Basic Instinct star Stone told the Telegraph: “I can’t wait to see Kevin back at work. He is a genius. He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault, and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will.”

The 66-year-old said it was clear aspiring actors had “wanted and want to be around him”.

She added: “It’s terrible that they are blaming him for not being able to come to terms with themselves for using him and negotiating with themselves because they didn’t get their secret agendas.”

Taken and Star Wars actor Neeson, 71, told the paper: “Kevin is a good man and a man of character. Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly.”

British actor and writer Fry said Spacey had been both “clumsy and inappropriate” on many occasions, but to “devote a whole documentary to accusations that simply do not add up to crimes… how can that be considered proportionate and justified?”

The 66-year-old said Spacey’s reputation had been “wrecked”, adding: “Surely it is wrong to continue to batter a reputation on the strength of assertion and rhetoric rather than evidence and proof?

“Unless I’m missing something, I think he has paid the price.”

A spokesperson for Channel 4 said: “Spacey Unmasked is an important film exploring the balance of power and inappropriate behaviour in a work environment, aiming to give a voice to those who have previously been unable to speak out.”

Spacey won two Academy Awards as best supporting actor for The Usual Suspects in 1996 and best actor in 2000 for American Beauty, which also scored him a BAFTA for leading actor.

Last year, Spacey was found not guilty by a jury of nine sexual offences alleged by four men between 2001 and 2013 after a trial in London.

He also won a US civil lawsuit in October 2022, after being accused of an unwanted sexual advance at a party in 1986.

Spacey says he has struggled to get work despite his acquittals, branding his experience a “life sentence”.

Entertainment

Rust weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez appeals against conviction over fatal shooting on Alec Baldwin film set

Published

1 day ago

May 15, 2024

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Rust weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez appeals against conviction over fatal shooting on Alec Baldwin film set

The weapons supervisor for the Western film Rust is appealing against her conviction for involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on set, according to court documents.

Hannah Gutierrez was jailed in April after being found guilty by jurors following a trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the US.

She was in charge of weapons during the production of the film in October 2021, when a Colt 45 revolver fired by actor and co-producer Alec Baldwin went off during a rehearsal.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died, while director Joel Souza was injured.

A defence lawyer for Gutierrez, who is serving an 18-month sentence at a prison for women in New Mexico, filed a shortly worded appeal notice on Monday.

Her legal team has 30 days to submit detailed arguments. They previously requested a new trial following the verdict.

Gutierrez’s trial was told she unwittingly brought live ammunition to the set, where it was expressly prohibited, and failed to follow basic gun safety protocols.

During her sentencing hearing, she told the court she had tried to do her best while working on the production, despite not having “proper time, resources and staffing”.

Alec Baldwin case latest

Baldwin, who was a producer for the film as well as its star, has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter.

He maintains he pulled back the gun’s hammer – but not the trigger – before it fired, and is set to face trial in July. He denies any wrongdoing.

The 66-year-old was originally charged in January 2023, more than a year after the shooting, but those charges were dropped a few months later. He was charged again in January this year.

His legal team has filed a motion calling for the charges to be dropped. Prosecutors responded with a 32-page document claiming that footage of the star on set shows he had “absolutely no control of his own emotions” and “no concern for how his conduct” affected those around him.

Assistant director David Halls, who also faced charges, entered a plea bargain for negligent use of a deadly weapon last year, receiving a six-month suspended sentence.

Filming of Rust resumed last year in Montana – with Baldwin reprising his role as the main character – after an agreement made Ms Hutchins’s widower an executive producer.