Another interview, another rumor about the possibilities of a Ghostbusters 3, more than 20 years after part two. Dan Aykroyd gave a recent interview to Esquire magazine and, naturally, one of the first topics to come up was Ghostbusters 3, especially seeing as how Aykroyd has been the sequel's "biggest cheerleader."
"I've worked on every draft in the last three years, as Ivan [Reitman, the director] has, and now we have a story and a draft that everybody seems to agree would make the third movie," Aykroyd tells Esquire. "At this point, I think we're closer than we ever have been. And because of the ever-shifting sands and nature of the motion-picture business, I will just say that hopefully, at some point, it will be morphing into what is known in the business as a [Aykroyd mimes air quotes] "production number XP39789." Then I will begin to rent cars, get hotel rooms, and bill for writing. But that point hasn't come." Aykroyd points a heavy amount of blame on Bill Murray, who has been notoriously outspoken about not being involved in another Ghostbusters. "Had Billy chosen to do the Eisenberg/Stupnitsky script of two years ago, it would be out this summer, and it would be a massive hit. If Billy had said yes, it would have satisfied his performance and what he wanted in the movie, it would have satisfied his performing skill and how he wanted to be depicted in the movie, it would have satisfied the studio, the writers who wrote it, everybody — Ivan, me, Harold, we were all happy with it. Then when he said, "Absolutely not, I'm not in this," we had to go and really rethink things."
You can read the full interview at Esquire.com
I love Ghostbusters. And I love Ghostbusters 2. I consider those seminal movies from my childhood, and films that I can watch today and still find they hold up today, even without the whiff of sentiment. And yet I am growing weary of these "maybe they are, maybe they aren't" Ghostbusters 3 rumors. I would love to see a new Ghostbusters. But I feel like we have been dicked around for so many years, why even bother with the promises? Just stop talking about it until there is actual movement forward. Now I get it. Journalists have to ask about the status of projects like Ghostbusters 3. I'm guilty of similar questions. But it is starting to feel like "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me; fool me 8,960 times, just fucking kill me." I have literally lost count of how many times we here at FEARnet have reported on Ghostbusters 3 news (though a quick search of our archives reveals 10 articles in the last year or so.)
I want this to happen. I want so badly for this to happen. But until it actually does, I want people to shut the hell up about it. Getting my hopes up is exhausting.