Fellow fanboys bust out your proton packs because it looks like Ghostbusters 3 may be a go after all. So far all the original cast members including Ernie Hudson, Dan Ackroyd, and Harold Ramis are ready to dial up the PKE meters and get this sucker in the Ecto Containment Unit. Even Ivan Reitman, the director of the original films is ready to helm the latest phantasm filled film.
There's just one catch...Bill Murray isn't so keen on the idea.
Based on an article on Deadline today, Ramis, Ackroyd, and Reitman say there is absolutely no way that the studio will commit without Murray involved. I couldn't be more in agreement. While I would love to see a third Ghostbusters film, it just wouldn't be the same without Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman. He's the titular head of the Ghostbusters and had some of the best lines in both movies. ("Yes it's true. This man has no dick." LOL! Still gets me every time.)
Ghostbusters 3 had been in development hell for over a decade until Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, of "The Office" acclaim, delivered a script last year. It has since been revised and was recently delivered to Murray for his approval. Reitman claims the script is "very good" and Ackroyd boldly proclaims that Murray "has been written the comedic role of a lifetime." That's pretty strong words from a man who has Groundhog Day, What about Bob?, and Stripes under his belt. At this point the group is waiting to hear back from Murray.
Unlike Mike Sampson of joblo.com I firmly believe that Bill Murray should say yes to this part. He would be the biggest draw for sure and maybe he'd even get some creative control of the film. God knows he has enough clout in Hollywood to do so. And being that the Ghostbusters franchise is a fanboy favorite, GB3 is almost assured of topping $300 million. If money is the issue, just tell Bill he can have a percentage of the gross.
I know that Murray has trended towards more serious roles in the last few years (Lost in Translation, Broken Flowers, Get Low) and maybe he feels playing Peter Venkman again would be taking a step backwards. Not a chance. At least not in the minds of fans of the film. I have a lot of faith in Reitman and Ackroyd and the chance to see Rick Moranis again as Lewis Tully is just so awesome. Furthermore, the script is supposed to introduce new, younger ghostbusters; a kind of passing of the torch. So far Bill Hader, Wil Forte, and Michael Cera have all been linked to the film. Great young talent like that could really infuse the third (final?) film in the franchise. (Although I'm not sure about Eliza Dushku. Everything she touches seems to turn to ash.)
Some of you out there may be thinking that the recent nostalgia love-fest going on in Hollywood has produced nothing but garbage, and that Ghostbusters 3 would be just more the same. I disagree. While Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was not particularly great, I highly enjoyed the other two prequel movies. And even though I didn't like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at first I've done a complete 180 on that film. Hell even Live Free or Die Hard was pretty solid. Besides, just because the new Star Wars or Indiana Jones films are deemed "unsuccessful" by some people, doesn't mean that the same would be true of GB3.
So Bill, I guess the only question is Who ya gonna call?
I'm hoping that the answer is Ivan Reitman and that you're ready to ride the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man all the way to the bank.
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