“Ghostbusters” is not only one of the great horror/comedies ever made; it undeniably revolutionized the genre into the new age.
The Ivan Reitman directed film led to a new generation of horror/comedies like “Shaun of the Dead,” “Zombieland,” “Evil Dead 2,” and “Beetlejuice.”
And Bill Murray just revealed something that will have “Ghostbusters” fans ecstatic.
When “Ghostbusters” arrived in theaters in 1984, it was the most refreshing original instant classic released that year – starring comedy legends Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Annie Potts and Rick Moranis; it was also dark and scary.
In the climax when Zuul asks the ghostbusters to choose their destructor and Dr. Raymond Stantz is stunned to find out that the “destructor” he chose was a twenty stories tall Stay Puft marshmallow man marching down the streets of New York City – it was one of the most unique moments in film history because it was simultaneously hilarious and terrifying.
It’s genuinely one of, if not the greatest horror/comedy ever made.
They followed it up with a near-comparable sequel “Ghostbusters 2,” and although it wasn’t as good as the first, it was still a solid installment.
It took over twenty five years for Sony Pictures to revamp the original franchise and forcibly setup a new cast of ghostbusters exclusively made up of women starring Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon and Melissa McCarthy.
It was heavy-handed trying to force feminism down America’s throats. It wasn’t terrible. It was just average (maybe a little below) but by far not what we’ve come to expect of one of the great horror/comedy franchises ever made.
But the all-female “Ghostbusters” likely didn’t make its money back with a $144 million budget and grossing $229 million worldwide – remember you have to factor in prints and advertising on top of the production budget, which could’ve exceeded $100 million easily.
Sony didn’t want to just drop it altogether. They decided to seek out the orginal franchise director’s son, Jason Reitman, to helm another Ghostbusters movie, which for all intents and purposes be the third installment of the originals – instead of an alternate universe like the all-female reboot.
And Bill Murray revealed to IndieWire recently that he would be willing to reprise his role in Jason Reitman’s “Ghostbusters” movie.
Murray candidly admitted, “This franchise paid for my son’s college. We made this thing. We are the caretakers of it. It’s a great thing and it was a really fun movie to make. It’s a real movie with some really funny stuff in it.”
He even gushed over his former co-stars with, “They’re wonderful people. Danny [Ackroyd], Ernie [Hudson], Harold [Ramis], Rick Moranis, Annie Potts — they’re some of the coolest people and they had real careers. They treat people well. They really understand what it is to be a movie actor. It’s a complete collaboration.”
Unfortunately, Harold Ramis will not be returning because he passed away several years ago. And reportedly, Moranis revealed recently that he had no interest in returning, which is also unfortunate. The “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” star famously retired from Hollywood when his wife suddenly passed away and taking care of his children was more important to him.
But Murray also revealed something shocking about the all-female reboot in 2016 when he said, “I was in that movie just because they asked me, and I knew if I said no, I was saying I didn’t support that movie. I felt like, OK, I’m going to support them because I support them as people. So I did that one and I would do this next one.”
Jason Reitman said he grew up on the sets of “Ghostbusters” and “Ghostbusters 2,” and promised he would make this movie for the original fans. Hopefully he doesn’t let us down, but at least Murray will likely come back as the one and only Dr. Peter Venkman.