Ghostbusters Director Says Animated Series Inspired the "Weird as F-ck" Frozen Empire

Rather than taking inspiration from the movie that started it all, the upcoming Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is looking to a very different part of the franchise for reference. The new movie, which looks to be a much bigger, zanier film than its predecessors, will be introducing all sorts of ghoulish new villains to the Ghostbusters lore, as an evil force causes New York City to freeze over. According to director Gil Kenan, a lot of inspiration was drawn from the fan-favorite animated series The Real Ghostbusters, which is remembered for taking some wild swings.

Speaking to Empire for the magazine's latest issue, Kenan revealed that a big way The Real Ghostbusters inspired the new movie is with its "wild, original and weird-as-f**k villains."

"We wanted to bring that show's looseness and fearlessness to this movie," the filmmaker added. "I think it's going to surprise people just how big this film is."

Co-writer and producer Jason Reitman, who directed Ghostbusters: Afterlife, said that some other, non-Ghostbusters filmmaking from the 1980s also had a big part in bringing the Frozen Empire story to life.

"John Hughes was a big touchstone," said Reitman. "That thing of a family in a station wagon, living in a crumbling home, the teenagers kicking back against their parents. [Finn Wolfhard's] Trevor's 18 now, so he's like, 'I'm an adult!'" 

He went on to say that there's a bit of Wes Anderson influence in Frozen Empire as well "We wanted that Royal Tenenbaums thing of a family living on top of each other... but in the Ghostbusters' Firehouse," he added. "We see the Firehouse way more than in any previous Ghostbusters film. What's it like to sleep there, do laundry there? What's the attic like?"

What Is Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire About?

Here's Sony's official synopsis of the upcoming Ghostbusters sequel:

"In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who've developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age."

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is slated to hit theaters on March 22nd.