Kumail Nanjiani: 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' will be 'genuinely scary'

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Kumail Nanjiani's role in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will be funny, the actor told UPI in an interview late Monday. However, the situations he's reacting to will be frightening.

"There's some really, genuinely scary stuff," he said in Los Angeles during an interview for his new animated film Migration. "The scary stuff is actually scary."

A teaser trailer shows the grandchildren of the late Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) continuing to bust ghosts with the veteran Ghostbusters in New York. When a spirit freezes the city in July, some New Yorkers literally freeze to death.

"The danger is very real and the stakes are very high," Nanjiani said. "That makes the comedy even funnier."

The teaser shows Nanjiani in a bookstore with Dan Aykroyd, Patton Oswalt, Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace and Logan Kim. Nanjiani said the film shares the jokes among its cast.

"Everybody gets to be funny," Nanjiani said.

Nanjiani also confirmed that the cast returned to filming since the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strike ended. Sony moved the film's release from December to March 29.

"We actually just finished a couple days ago," Nanjiani said. "I got to work with people who have been my heroes for a long time and people who I admire."