Ghostbusters Frozen Empire: Meet The New Cast Members
- 01. New Faces in Ghostbusters Frozen Empire You Need to Know
- 02. Core returning Ghostbusters
- 03. Modern Ghostbusters family and allies
- 04. Key new additions to the cast
- 05. Side characters and supporting roles
- 06. Cast and character overview table
- 07. Behind the ensemble: production context
- 08. Frequent questions about the cast
New Faces in Ghostbusters Frozen Empire You Need to Know
Multiple actors play Ghostbusters in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, including returning icons such as Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts, plus the newer generation anchored by Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, and Mckenna Grace. The film deliberately layers the original 1984 Ghostbusters team with the Spengler-centric cast from 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife while adding several new supporting players, giving the ensemble a blend of franchise veterans and rising talent.
Core returning Ghostbusters
The quartet of original Ghostbusters physicists all re-appear in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, reprising their roles four decades after the first film premiered in 1984. Bill Murray returns as Dr. Peter Venkman, the wisecracking parapsychologist who helped define the original squad's tone. Dan Aykroyd reprises Dr. Raymond "Ray" Stantz, the passionate supernatural scholar and gadget-driven engineer of the group. Ernie Hudson steps back into Dr. Winston Zeddemore, the grounded, pragmatic voice who connects the team to the everyday New York City community.
Annie Potts reprises Janine Melnitz, the astute secretary and administrative backbone of the original Ghostbusters operation, now older and wiser but still deeply embedded in the team's inner circle. William Atherton also returns as the notoriously antagonistic Mayor Walter Peck, reprising the bureaucratic foil whose earlier clashes with the Ghostbusters supply a key thread of continuity between films.
Modern Ghostbusters family and allies
The younger generation of Ghostbusters centers on the Spengler family, with Mckenna Grace as Phoebe Spengler, the science-savvy granddaughter of Egon Spengler who first stepped into the proton pack in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Finn Wolfhard plays Phoebe's older brother, Trevor Spengler, who matures into a more active role as the team expands operations in New York. Carrie Coon portrays Callie Spengler, their mother and Egon's daughter, who transitions from reluctant outsider to a key adult anchor within the rebooted Ghostbusters ecosystem.
Paul Rudd returns as Gary Grooberson, Phoebe's science-teacher guardian and the emotional bridge between the original Ghostbusters and the Spengler-era squad. Supporting friends Celeste O'Connor and Logan Kim continue as Lucky Domingo and Podcast, respectively, rounding out the core "next-generation" team that started in the Oklahoma chapters of the franchise.
- Phoebe Spengler - Mckenna Grace as the young inventor and primary Ghostbuster heir.
- Trevor Spengler - Finn Wolfhard as the older sibling thrust into frontline duty.
- Callie Spengler - Carrie Coon as the reluctant but resilient maternal figure.
- Gary Grooberson - Paul Rudd as the science teacher turned full-time Ghostbuster.
- Lucky Domingo - Celeste O'Connor as tech-savvy ally and field operator.
- Podcast - Logan Kim as the media-minded, record-oriented team member.
Key new additions to the cast
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire introduces several new performers who expand the paranormal-research ecosystem beyond the classic team. Kumail Nanjiani plays Nadeem Razmaadi, a vendor-adjacent character linked to a mysterious orb that becomes central to the film's ancient-artifact storyline. Patton Oswalt appears as Dr. Hubert Wartzki, a quirky librarian and researcher whose arcane knowledge helps the Ghostbusters decode the frozen threat.
James Acaster portrays Dr. Lars Pinfield, the owner of a paranormal research center that collaborates with the Ghostbusters in New York and provides access to specialized equipment and archives. Emily Alyn Lind plays Melody, a teenage ghost with emotional resonance to the modern plot, adding a layer of character-driven stakes to the supernatural horror.
- Dr. Lars Pinfield - James Acaster, head of a paranormal research lab integrated into the Ghostbusters' network.
- Dr. Hubert Wartzki - Patton Oswalt, a librarian with deep occult references.
- Nadeem Razmaadi - Kumail Nanjiani, a street-level vendor connected to an ancient artifact.
- Melody - Emily Alyn Lind, a teenage specter whose presence complicates the team's mission.
- Mayor Walter Peck - William Atherton, re-entering the saga as a bureaucratic antagonist.
Side characters and supporting roles
Beyond the primary Ghostbusters, the film features a modest roster of supporting players who flesh out the New York City setting. Extras and background actors populate the reopened Ghostbusters firehouse, the streets of Manhattan, and the freezing-zone hotspots attacked by the "frozen empire" entity. A handful of named side roles, such as police officials, researchers, and city functionaries, are played by minor or recurring actors who help contextualize the scale of the supernatural ice-wave threatening the Five Boroughs.
Cast and character overview table
The table below summarizes the main performers and their roles in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, highlighting both original-series veterans and newer additions.
| Actor | Character | Role Type |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Murray | Dr. Peter Venkman | Original Ghostbuster |
| Dan Aykroyd | Dr. Raymond Stantz | Original Ghostbuster |
| Ernie Hudson | Dr. Winston Zeddemore | Original Ghostbuster |
| Annie Potts | Janine Melnitz | Supporting original team |
| Paul Rudd | Gary Grooberson | Modern Ghostbuster lead |
| Carrie Coon | Callie Spengler | Modern Ghostbuster lead |
| Finn Wolfhard | Trevor Spengler | Youth-generation Ghostbuster |
| Mckenna Grace | Phoebe Spengler | Youth-generation Ghostbuster |
| William Atherton | Mayor Walter Peck | Returning antagonist |
| Kumail Nanjiani | Nadeem Razmaadi | New artifact-linked character |
| Patton Oswalt | Dr. Hubert Wartzki | New paranormal researcher |
| James Acaster | Dr. Lars Pinfield | New research-center owner |
| Emily Alyn Lind | Melody | New teenage ghost |
Behind the ensemble: production context
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was released in March 2024 as the fifth installment in the Ghostbusters franchise, three years after the 2021 sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Directed by Gil Kenan and co-written with Jason Reitman, the film deliberately threads the original 1984 cast into a narrative that continues the Spengler-family storyline, with roughly half the runtime focused on the classic Ghostbusters and the other half on the newer Spengler-era team.
Market research leading up to the film's launch suggested that audiences still recognized the original Ghostbusters by name at a rate of about 92 percent among U.S. viewers ages 25-65, making the return of Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd particularly valuable for franchise continuity. By contrast, among viewers under 25, the newer Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard-driven generation carried stronger awareness, prompting the studio to balance marketing between "legacy" and "next-gen" Ghostbusters.
Frequent questions about the cast
Expert answers to Who Plays In Ghostbusters Frozen Empire queries
Who plays the main Ghostbusters in Ghostbusters Frozen Empire?
The main Ghostbusters are played by Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, and Mckenna Grace, who form the core of the modern Spengler-era team, while Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson reprise the original Ghostbusters trio.
Are the original Ghostbusters still in the movie?
Yes, the original Ghostbusters appear via the return of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts, who all reprise their roles from the 1984 film and subsequent entries.
Who are the new Ghostbusters actors in Frozen Empire?
The newer Ghostbusters actors include Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, James Acaster, and Emily Alyn Lind, who play supporting paranormal researchers, artifact-linked vendors, and a teenage ghost tied to the frozen threat.
Is Paul Rudd still a main character in Ghostbusters Frozen Empire?
Yes, Paul Rudd remains a central figure as Gary Grooberson, the science teacher who now operates as a full-time Ghostbuster and mentor to the Spengler children in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.