GB3: Who're They Gonna Call? Maybe Not Murray
In a radio interview with Dennis Miller, Dan Ackroyd has opened up about Ghostbusters 3 and the latest developments.
Ackroyd confirmed that production will begin in the spring, and the express purpose of the film is to hand off the equipment to a younger generation. “We have an excellent script,” he says, “and what we have to remember is that Ghostbusters is bigger than any one component” and that while Bill Murray was the nominal star of the franchise, saying “the promise of Ghostbusters 3 is that we get to hand the equipment and the franchise down to new blood…” Ackroyd wouldn’t confirm one way or another if Murray, the long-time holdout, would be returning as Peter Venkman.
Now, that seems to indicate three things:
- Ghostbusters is moving forward with or without Bill Murray.
- Ackroyd’s use of the word “franchise” seems to imply that GB3 won’t be the last film
- Especially if they’re handing over the gear to a new generation.
More than likely jesting, Ackroyd indicated that his character and that of Harold Ramis would be experiencing physical ailments and conditions that would prevent them from being Ghostbusters anymore, but there’s no way of knowing if this was just his way of deflecting questions about the actual story line or if he was really dropping major bits about where the original team has landed.
In terms of casting the new team, Ackroyd said they’re looking for “three guys and a young woman,” which keeps the team at four and maintains the gender dynamic from the original films. But will this new woman be on the team? And will one of the guys still be a Venkman? According to early reports, one of the new team would be the son of Murray’s character. No indication if this is still the case, although it’s likely. Especially if Murray isn’t in the movie, it could become a plot line for the younger Venkman to live up to his father’s reputation, or get revenge on Slimer, or any number of Oedipus-themed tropes we see so frequently in film.
