With regard to the sequels to and remakes of your favorite properties from 1982-1993:

• Dan Aykroyd continues to promise Ghostbusters 3, revealing that the sequel plot centers on troubling research by Columbia University particle physicists.
• Director Gil Kenan (City of Ember) has begun to cast his remake of Poltergeist for a September shoot in Toronto.  Plot details have surfaced.
• Sam Neill says it is unlikely he will be a part of Jurassic Park 4, in part because he believes it is a reboot.

More on each project after the jump.

Surprise!  Those still crossing their fingers for the very long in-development Ghostbusters 3 were granted a glimmer of hope when we recently learned that the sequel could start filming next summer, but that hope has now swiftly been dashed out.  Due to some financial uneasiness, Sony Pictures Entertainment is currently reassessing all of their projects in the pipeline.  Per THR, any decision on Ghostbusters 3 has been postponed until the end of March, which means that the hoped-for Summer 2013 start date is no longer a possibility.  Should Sony ultimately decide to move forward with the sequel, filming likely wouldn’t be able to get underway until next fall at the earliest.

The most recent draft of the script was written by Etan Cohen, and Ghostbusters I and II director Ivan Reitman had been set to return.  I’m not sure we really need another Ghostbusters movie (especially now that Bill Murray is out), and I remain skeptical as to whether Ghostbusters 3 will actually come to fruition.

Ivan Reitman‘s Ghostbusters 3 has been in development hell for years, but we’re always hearing that it’s right around the corner.  That may now be the case since we learned in August that the production had given up the ghost of getting Bill Murray to return (even if his character would have been a ghost).  In July, Etan Cohen (Men in Black III) was tapped to re-write the script.  The pieces seem to be falling into place, and now Deadline is reporting that Reitman is planning to shoot the sequel next summer.

If Ghostbusters 3 is going to happen, this is probably when.  We don’t know if the sequel will still function as a reboot where a new, younger team of Ghostbusters are brought in to carry the franchise.  That would probably be the preferred direction for Sony, but perhaps it’s best to focus on one film at a time considering how long it’s taken for the third movie to get in front of cameras.

Just in time for the presidential election, the hit romantic comedy Dave, from director Ivan Reitman and screenwriter Gary Ross, debuts on Blu-ray on September 25^th, for the first time since its 1993 theatrical release.  The film tells the story about what happens when the U.S. President goes into a coma and a mild-mannered office manager, named Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline), with an uncanny resemblance is hired to impersonate him and fool not only an entire country, but also an increasingly suspicious First Lady (Sigourney Weaver).

At a press day for the Blu-ray release, director Ivan Reitman and producer Lauren Shuler Donner talked about how Gary Ross came to write the film, how the script was developed, what made Kevin Kline the right actor to pull off the dual role, why Sigourney Weaver was the perfect First Lady, and how they think young audiences will react to the film today.  Reitman also talked about the huge interest in sequels these days, the status of another Ghostbusters film and the Twins sequel, Triplets, and how he thinks audiences will be knocked out by the story they’re telling in Hitchcock (due out November 23^rd and starring Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren), which he’s producing, and Shuler Donner talked about the importance of focusing on character when you’re making superhero movies, like she’s done with the X-Men films.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.

Today, the Alamo Drafthouse announced a new film series, so it’s time for everyone outside of Austin, Texas to start seething with jealous rage.  The programming series, “Presented in Amazing AlamoScope: 70mm at the Ritz”, will show off the beauty of 70mm film, which is the best way you can see some of cinema’s best classic films.  It’s also becoming a rare experience as theaters and studios dump film for digital.  For those living in Austin, Texas, you’ll be treated to a line-up that includes West Side Story, Cleopatra (the film sucks but the visual experience will be great), Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Baraka, Playtime, and Paul Thomas Anderson‘s new film, The Master.  The Master will be shown beginning September 21st, so it’s possible that it could also play as part of Alamo’s Fantastic Fest, which runs from September 20 – 27th.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer for AlamoScope, along with the press release which will tell you when each of these films will be playing.  Tickets for West Side Story are on sale now.  You can also buy a badge providing access to all 7 films including The Master.  The badge includes access to the first show on Saturday for all repertory films and the premiere screening of The Master on 9/21 at (approximately) 7:00pm.

Dan Aykroyd has somehow become the Mark Millar of his own franchise.  While Mark Millar is an outsider who pretends like he knows the daily goings-on behind the adaptations of his comic books, Aykroyd is actually a producer of the Ghostbuters movies.  However, he exposes the key flaw in trying to give people specific status reports: the facts change on a daily basis.  Just because it’s sunny today, doesn’t mean it’s going to be sunny a year from now.  If everything Aykroyd said about Ghostbusters 3 was accurate, filming would have taken place this past spring.  But the most frequently asked question for Aykroyd hasn’t even been, “When do you start filming?”  It’s been, “Is Bill Murray coming back?”

The chances of Murray returning have always leaned towards no with the star highly reluctant to reprise his role as Dr. Peter Venkman.  There was a time when he seemed slightly up on the idea of the character returning as a ghost, but that’s about it.  Now it looks like Aykroyd is finally willing to move on without Murray.  Hit the jump for more.

At this point, if Dan Aykroyd has anything to say about Ghostbusters III, I tend to take it with a grain of salt.  Last week, Aykroyd said that the movie had replaced Bad Teacher scribes, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, with “a new writing staff.” Here’s the grain of truth: Ghostbusters III does have a new writer, but not a staff.  According to Variety, Sony has brought in Men in Black 3 screenwriter Etan Cohen to rewrite the script.  Cohen received sole writing credit on MIB 3, which has grossed more than $600 million worldwide, even though his script wasn’t completely finished when filming began, and it was passed off to other writers (namely Jeff Nathanson and then David Koepp) during production.

With a project the size of Ghostbusters III, I don’t expect Cohen to be the last writer who gets his hands on the script.  In addition to this new gig, he’s also attached to make his directing debut on Boy Scouts vs. Zombies.  Hit the jump for more on Ghostbusters III

Dan Aykroyd continues to be the most vocal supporter of the struggling Ghostbusters 3 project.  Last summer, Aykroyd rekindled our hopes that the film would shoot in the spring of 2012 with or without Bill Murray’s involvement (which clearly never happened).  Then, Aykroyd floated the possibility of recasting Peter Venkman and admitted to needing more time to work on the screenplay by Bad Teacher scribes, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. He more recently confirmed that Murray would have nothing to do with the project.  Now it seems as if the writing duo of Eisenberg and Stupnitsky are out as well, as Aykroyd recently commented that a new team was in place.  While I admire the man’s tenacity in bringing a suitable project to the screen, I’m beginning to wonder whether or not we should just leave well enough alone.  More from Aykroyd after the jump. 

Dan Aykroyd has been looking to bring Ghostbusters 3 to life for over a decade, and real studio interest has picked up in the last few years. He’s got a script from The Office writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky (which apparently Aykroyd is still working on) that would see the original cast handing their proton packs over to some fresh-faced spirit chasers that can really appeal to the kids, with their Twitter and their Justin Bieber. Alas, his good friend Bill Murray (who, I’m told, is also an actor of some repute) is dead-set on playing party-pooper. Today, in an interview with the Telegraph, Aykroyd briefly discussed the film and Murray’s assured absence.  Said Aykroyd:

“At this point it’s in suspended animation. The studio, the director Ivan Reitman and [co-star] Harold Ramis feel there must be a way to do it, but Bill Murray will not do the movie. He doesn’t want to be involved.”

Hit the jump for more.

Ghostbusters 3 has been lingering in development hell for quite some time now, and it appears it’s time for another nothing update from Dan Aykroyd. He previously stated that production would begin this spring, but then we heard that Sony wasn’t exactly keen on moving forward without Bill Murray’s involvement. A script was initially commissioned by Bad Teacher scribes Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, but now it appears that Aykroyd is still working on the screenplay:

“The script must be perfect. We cannot release a film that is any less than that. We have more work to do.”

Rather than give firm timetables, it appears Aykroyd understands that they’ve got quite a while to go before they can think about production. Hit the jump for more from Akyroyd, including the suggestion that Murray could be replaced, the possible return of Rick Moranis, and what Aykroyd had to say about Murray supposedly shredding the script.

I still can’t get over how much I liked Bad Teacher and how hard and consistently I laughed throughout.  It’s not one of my favorite movies of the year, but it was certainly the best surprise thus far.  That’s why I’m delighted to hear that screenwriters Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg and director Jake Kasdan are re-teaming for an untitled comedy at Sony.  Here’s the logline according to Deadline: “After a Supercuts manager advises his best friend to break off his engagement, he unexpectedly falls in love with the jilted fiancee, testing both his new romance and his friendship.”  I imagine the worst part isn’t the risk of losing your girlfriend or your best friend.  It’s the realization of working at Supercuts.

There’s no word on a sequel to Bad Teacher even though the film grossed $215 million worldwide off a $30 million budget.  If a sequel doesn’t happen, I would be completely okay with that. In a related story, Eisneberg and Stupnitsky worked on the screenplay for Ghostbusters III and Deadline has a discouraging update on the long-in-development sequel.

“Hey, anybody see a ghost?” Dr. Peter Venkman is talking to you, and he has PhDs in parapsychology and psychology, so you should probably pay attention. We already told you that the Ghostbusters are returning to the big screen for three days only this October. Perhaps we haven’t stressed enough just how much your passion for the boys of Ecto-1 influences a possible third installment. Now it seems that Sony has rolled out the hype machine and wants you to get involved, social media style. What happens if you don’t? “Human sacrifices! Dogs and cats…living together! Mass hysteria!”

Hit the jump to save the future of the Ghostbusters.

Sony Pictures is bringing Ghostbusters back to the big screen for a limited engagement this October.  The studio has announced that the classic comedy will play in approximately 500 theaters nationwide (plus select theaters in Canada and various international markets) for one showtime on October 13th, 20th, and 27th in 2K digital with 5.1 surround sound .  If someone asks you, “Are you going to see Ghostbusters on the big screen?” you say, “Yes!”  Details will be posted parkcirus.com and fans can follow Ghostbusters on Facebook and Twitter to be the first to know the details on the release.

I can only assume this is Sony’s way of gauging interest in a third Ghostbusters before finally giving the greenlight and shooting, as Dan Aykroyd recently claimed, in spring 2012.  It will be interesting to see how many people feel good from bustin’.  Hit the jump for the full press release.

At this weekend’s press day for Abduction, Collider was able to speak with Sigourney Weaver, who plays Dr. Geri Bennett in the film. Bennett is a 30-year CIA operative and therapist to Nathan Harper (Taylor Lautner), a teenager who realizes that his entire life is a lie after a team of trained killers tracks him down, leaving him with no one to trust.

But, since that film doesn’t open until September 23^rd, we’ll hold what she had to say about it until closer to the release date. In the meantime, we did get a chance to have her update the status of the Avatar sequels, which she will return for, and Ghostbusters 3, which hinges on Bill Murray’s involvement. Weaver did say that, although she hasn’t read a Ghostbusters script, she did ask Ivan Reitman to have her character’s son grow up to be a Ghostbuster and he agreed. Check out what she had to say after the jump.

This should please fans of the franchise perhaps more so than Dan Aykroyd’s insistence that the third installment will shoot Spring 2012 with or without Bill Murray. The official Ghostbusters Facebook page [via AICN] has announced that director Ivan Reitman’s 1984 classic will receive a theatrical rerelease this October. As of now, there are few other details to be found regarding the rerelease (i.e. number of theaters, whether its film or DVD projection, etc.), only that the film will return to theaters next month.

Most likely, this is an attempt to gauge audience interest in a franchise that hasn’t seen a film installment in more than two decades. Regardless of the motive, as a fan who has never had the opportunity to watch the original on the silver screen, I can only hope that Ghostbusters will receive wide distribution that finally affords me that opportunity. Moreover, even skeptics of rereleases have to at least take solace in the fact that at least it isn’t Top Gun in 3D. We’ll be sure to share the details of this rerelease as soon as more emerge. In the meantime, I’m going to try and track down some “Ecto-Cooler” Hi-C.