Ghostbusters: Afterlife: Mckenna Grace Firmly States Phoebe Isn't A Copy Of Egon
Released in 2021, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" saw Jason Reitman take the directing reins from his father Ivan Reitman, who directed the first two films of the "Ghostbusters" franchise. Co-written by the younger Reitman and Gil Kenan, the film focused on Phoebe Spengler, played by Mckenna Grace. Phoebe, the granddaughter of Egon Spengler, played by Harold Ramis in the first two films, discovers a poltergeist in Egon's farmhouse after her family moves there, leading her to her grandfather's equipment.
Phoebe ultimately picks up on her grandfather's mission to capture ghosts, discovering that he had set up in town to keep Gozer, the antagonist of the first film, from returning. Unable to keep Gozer contained, Phoebe ends up defeating the entity with the help of Egon's spirit, as well as the remaining members of the original team, picking up the mantle and becoming a true Ghostbuster.
Despite all this, Grace recently opened up about how Phoebe was not simply a remake of Egon.
Grace noted that not trying to re-create Egon took the pressure off her
In an interview with Collider, Mckenna Grace was asked about how she went about making Phoebe her own character, while clearly also being influenced by Egon Spengler, the character the late Harold Ramis played in the first two "Ghostbusters" films.
Grace responded that she was worried about having Phoebe live up to Egon, given how prominent he is to the franchise. This was enhanced by the fact that Phoebe's hair and glasses were quite reminiscent of Egon, an understandable resemblance given that they were both from the Spengler family.
However, Grace added that reminding herself Phoebe was her own person, and not just a new version of Egon, helped ease her concern. "It was a little bit scary to try and live up to Egon Spengler, but then I realized I don't have to because we're creating a different character," she explained. "She might be related in looks and blood, but we wanted to be able to create something that's newer but it still has that authentic old Ghostbusters feel that gives you that kind of nostalgia."
Grace concluded that the point was to strike a balance between Phoebe bringing something new to the "Ghostbusters" franchise and still offering enough nostalgic vibes from the first two films in the series.