"They Talk About Retirement, But...": OG Ghostbusters Star Ready For Bigger Franchise Future After Frozen Empire's 42% RT Disappointment
Original Ghostbusters star Ernie Hudson is ready for another big role in the franchise, after appearing in the poorly received Frozen Empire. Having portrayed Winston Zeddemore, a non-parapsychologist who joined the eponymous team in the first two movies, Hudson would eventually return for Ghostbusters: Afterlife. By the release of Frozen Empire in 2024, following his reunion with Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) and Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Winston was brought back again, and in a larger capacity. The sequel, however, was hindered by a disappointing box office and Rotten Tomatoes score of 42%.
Hudson spoke with Screen Rant at the WGA Awards and revealed that he has not considered departing from the Ghostbusters franchise yet. He expressed interest in having Winston lead a team, while the Spenglers continue their paranormal investigations, and added that his character could be more involved in the action again. Read Hudson's comments below:
Right? I want to see Winston sort of head the teams right now. I think the studio is focused on the family, which is a good thing, but I also would like to see Winston take a team and spin-off in other directions. That would be a lot of fun. They talk about retirement, but I don't want him to just be that guy who sits in the office. I'd love to see him, like in the original films, really get down and dirty and go at it.
What This Could Mean For The Ghostbusters Franchise
Winston Has Enough Experience To Start Another Team
Before becoming a successful businessman, Winston was a primary Ghostbuster who tackled many supernatural occurrences. Years of chasing paranormal activity, alongside Peter, Ray, and Egon Spengler (portrayed by the late Harold Ramis), Winston has enough experience to assemble and properly lead another team, something that may benefit Phoebe (McKenna Grace) and her family once more ghosts run rampant throughout the country. He also has resources and access to a Paranormal Research Center, which he helped create, as seen in Frozen Empire.
Some main complaints about the 2024 sequel were the large number of characters and their separate quests. A potential solution to Frozen Empire’s crowded cast, should the franchise continue integrating original stars and/or establishing new team members, including Lucky Domingo (Celeste O’Connor) and Lars Pinfield (James Acaster), could be to have them take on cases unrelated to the Spenglers. Given their connection to Winston, it would present an opportunity for him to expand the Ghostbusters' operation using knowledgeable candidates who helped defeat an entity as powerful as Garraka.
Our Take On Winston Having A Larger Franchise Role
He Could Bring The Nostalgia Factor To A Ghostbusters Spinoff
The Ghostbusters franchise has remained focused on tapping into nostalgia by having Hudson and other stars reprise their roles in Afterlife and Frozen Empire. Considering that the Spenglers have had two movies of character development, and that they are likable, placing them in a position to carry on the Ghostbusters business was a good next step for the film series. However, Hudson’s comments about possibly branching out and giving Winston more to do, could set up some sort of future spin-off, where his involvement would be a key to success.
- Created by
- Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis
- First Film
- Ghostbusters
- First TV Show
- The Real Ghostbusters
- Cast
- Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, Rick Moranis, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon
- TV Show(s)
- The Real Ghostbusters
- Movie(s)
- Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2 (1989), Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Ghostbusters is a multimedia franchise created by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The first two films were released in the '80s, but Ghostbusters III got stuck in development hell for years. Nearly 30 years after Ghostbusters II hit theaters, a reboot starring female Ghostbusters was released, followed by another reboot/sequel in 2021 titled Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The popular characters have also appeared in several video games and animated TV shows since the franchise's creation in 1984.
