Caffeinated Clint
If you ask Bill Murray, “Ghostbusters 3” is a “myth” – a movie that will never happen (considering how long it’s taking, we might be inclined to believe the man!), but Dan Aykroyd will gladly tell anyone with a that the film is indeed happening… he just, conveniently, can’t tell you a date… or whether Murray’s going to definitely be involved… or whether any of us will still be alive by the time it goes before the cameras.
Bill Murray had the last word on “Ghostbusters 3”. You’ll recall he suggested the script for the long-gestating sequel will be absolute trite because it’s conceivers, Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, had worked on the terribly unsuccessful “Year One”. And once again, Murray had a point – “Year One” stunk, artistically, critically and financially. It is a wonder Sony would approve the duo (granted, they do write for “The Office”) to write the latest film in what’s unarguably one of the shingle’s biggest franchises… after the “I Know What You Did Last Summer” series, of course.
Aykroyd spoke to Vanity Fair this week and, typically, made excuses for Murray’s comments (he has to, he wants him in the movie) whilst defending Stupnitsky and Eisenberg’s draft.
The one-time Doctor Detroit says he’s now taking a bowl at rewriting the script.
“[Bill] was talking about the writers from Year One, and I think he was reacting to the box-office success and the general public view of the film, which in my view was a very serviceable comedy, and in the end I think they’ll make their money back. I think he was concerned that the writing on Ghostbusters 3 by these guys would not be up to standard, but I can tell you firsthand, I’m working on the script now and those two — Stupnitsky and Eisenberg, [writer-producers of The Office] — wrote Bill the comic role of a lifetime, and the new Ghostbusters and the old are all well represented in it…we have a strong first draft that Harold [Ramis] and I will take back, and I’m very excited about working on it.”
Now that’s good news – Aykroyd and Ramis writing the film, the duo of course wrote the first film. Granted they also wrote that second but, well, hey! “Ghostbusters II” was no “Year One”!
The storyline of the new film, we’re told, sees the old gang training up some new recruits (one of whom is rumoured to be Oscar, Dana Barrett and Peter Venkman’s grown-up on). Aykroyd tells the mag he’s all for “passing the torch”.
“Now [in Ghostbusters 3] my character’s eyesight is shot, I got a bad knee, a bad hip—I can’t drive that caddy anymore or lift that Psychotron Accelerator anymore, it’s too heavy. We need young legs, new minds—new Ghostbusters; so I’m in essence passing the torch to the new regime, and you know what? That’s totally okay with me.”
And seriously, I don’t know what Murray’s complaining about anyway – it’s only likely going to be a day or two’s work!
In an interview with The Daily Mail in Feb, Murray – who has long resisted doing another “Ghostbusters” – confirmed that “I said I’lll come back in Ghostbusters III only if I get to be a ghost. I said to them, “I’lll do it if you kill me off in the first reel. So now they are going to have me as a ghost in the film.”
Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis and Sigourney Weaver are all believed to be joining Aykroyd and – hopefully – Murray in “Ghostbusters 3”.
