Ghostbusters: Afterlife director wanted to do film in ‘secrecy'
LOS ANGELES : The young stars of Ghostbusters: Afterlife said they did not know they were auditioning for the latest movie in the Ghostbusters franchise - part of an effort to shroud the movie in mystery.
"We had no idea what we were auditioning for throughout literally the majority of the process," said Celeste O'Connor, who plays a classmate of one of the main characters.
"I found out at the very last audition, and I was like, 'Oh my God'. I was freaking out."
Said writer-director Jason Reitman, who picks up the reins from his father, Ivan Reitman, co-creater of the original franchise: "This is a movie that we wanted to do in secrecy because we wanted this film to feel like a present that you were getting on Christmas morning."
A love letter to original Ghostbuster Egon Spengler and the late actor who played him, Harold Ramis, the sequel follows the Spengler family - mother Callie (Carrie Coon) and her children Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) - as they are evicted and forced to move into Egon's eerie house in the Midwest.
It is currently showing in cinemas here.
With bushy black hair and glasses, Grace is reminiscent of Ramis' character and says she took inspiration from Ramis and Egon.
"But of course, Phoebe is still Phoebe. She is not Egon as much as she is a Spengler," Grace said.
Paul Rudd plays Phoebe's teacher and Callie's love interest, Mr Grooberson, who is a fan of the original Ghostbusters and gets excited when Ghostbuster relics are discovered.
It was not a stretch for Rudd.
"There is no way I could just be cool around it. It is amazing," he said.
The Reitmans want audiences to keep quiet about the film's spoilers and cameos, some of which appear in two scenes during the credits.
Ivan Reitman said: "There are delightful things all over the film that you're going to love, no matter what... but we'd rather have it told to you through the movie as opposed to told in a tweet... That doesn't have the sincerity and joy of what I think the effect of the movie is." - REUTERS
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