Dan Aykroyd loves to keep hope alive that there will be a Ghostbusters 3 someday even though I've never met anyone who was hoping for a new Ghostbusters movie. Today, Aykroyd appeared on Dennis Miller's radio show [via ComingSoon] and strongly hinted that the movie is happening in spring 2012 no matter what. Seriously this time:
"Yes, we will be doing the movie and hopefully with Mr. Murray," he says, "That is our hope. We have an excellent script. What we have to remember is that 'Ghostbusters' is bigger than any one component, although Billy was absolutely the lead and contributive to it in a massive way, as was the director and Harold [Ramis], myself and Sigourney [Weaver]. The concept is much larger than any individual role and the promise of 'Ghostbusters 3' is that we get to hand the equipment and the franchise down to new blood."
Hit the jump for more on what Aykroyd had to say about the new film and a fun reminder of how many times we've heard this before.
Aykroyd reiterated the point that the new film will feature a new generation of Ghostbusters:
"My character, Ray, is now blind in one eye and can't drive the cadillac," he says, "He's got a bad knee and can't carry the packs... Egon is too large to get into the harness. We need young blood and that's the promise. We're gonna hand it to a new generation."
Aykroyd adds that there's no casting yet for the new leads (three guys and a girl), but he likes Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Minds). We previously reported that in addition to the young blood, Dana's son would now be a Ghostbuster and that Dr. Venkman would be a ghost. If Aykroyd is saying they can do Ghostbusters 3 with or without Murray, then does that imply Ghost Venkman was never a crucial character to begin with? And if Murray did sign on, wouldn't fans expect him to have a significant role?
I'm also baffled as to why it's taken them this long to figure out that Murray is ambivalent about the project and that if they really wanted to make a sequel, they should have just gone forward without him. I love Murray, but does anyone want to see him in a film that he doesn't care about?
So Aykroyd says spring 2012 is when they're going to start filming. Let's take a trip down memory lane:
- Aykroyd says filming could begin in winter 2009.
- Harold Ramis says filming could begin summer 2010.
- Ivan Reitman confirms they have a script and that he'll direct, but shooting won't begin until 2011.
- Production Weekly reports that filming will begin in May 2011.
Do you see a pattern here? I understand it's tough for films to get out of development hell, but do you think Ghostbusters 3 is really happening this time? But more importantly, should it happen?
