EntertainmentMoviesSci-Fi MoviesGhostbusters: Frozen EmpireGhostbusters: Frozen Empire director Gil Kenan talks creating the “most violent and menacing” villain for new sequelWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesSci-Fi MoviesGhostbusters: Frozen EmpireGhostbusters: Frozen Empire director Gil Kenan talks creating the “most violent and menacing” villain for new sequelWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Sony)
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empiredirector Gil Kenan has opened up on creating the “most dangerous, the most violent and menacing adversary that a ghostbuster has ever faced.”
“I’m really proud of Garraka. We were so excited to go back to finish the Gozer saga in Afterlife because it felt like it was a way of settling a score with the past,” Kenan tells GamesRadar+.
“We almost needed to do that in order to clear the table for new mythologies, new adversaries. And with aka there was an understanding that in this second chapter of the story, we would be creating a much-heightened sense of set of stakes both personally and externally for the city.”
The fifth film in the Ghostbusters franchise, Frozen Empire, sees the Spengler family take on an ancient spirit named Garraka, who is accidentally released from his century-long prison stay and embarks on a sinister journey to cover the entire world in ice and freeze everyone to death. He’s also able to control other ghosts, which, uh, makes him especially terrifying.
“So Garraka had to sort of carry a lot of weight on his shoulders. He had to be a kind of nightmarish vision that would give all of our characters something unified to have to come together to stand a chance to survive,” Kenan continues. “And in terms of creating the character, obviously there’s two parts to this. One is the writing and creating a new mythology that goes back to an ancient civilization that was really fun to, to write and research. Jason [Reitman] and I did a lot of our writing here in London.”
New cast members Kumail Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt play a significant role when it comes to learning more about Garraka’s origins, but you’ll just have to see the movie in order to find out.
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Added Kenan: “We used to go to the British Museum and explore the hall of ancient artifacts as a way to kind of find our own organic way into these story threads. And then visually I did what I always do, which is I take out a piece of paper and a pen and I just start drawing something that feels like a pure embodiment of the character that we’re writing.”
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is in theaters now. For more, check out our interview withGil Kenan about bringing the OG Ghostbusters back as main characters,or our chat withFinn Wolfhard about whether Garraka is scarier than Vecna. If you’ve seen the film, head on over to our guide to theGhostbusters: Frozen Empire ending explained, or our guide to theGhostbusters: Frozen Empire post-credits scenes.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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1
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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
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4
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”