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As Dan Aykroyd recently revealed, a "new writing staff" was working on Ghostbusters III, essentially replacing or rewriting the script handed in years ago by The Office and Bad Teacher writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. The name of that "writing staff" is actually just Etan Cohen, who helped write Tropic Thunder and Men in Black III, and his hiring, as reported by Variety, heralds both good and bad news.
The good news, for Ghostbusters fans, is that a third installment is moving forward and with a writer who has some experience revitalizing a movie franchise after a decade-long break. The basic plotline, as Aykroyd has admitted, would involve a new group of Ghostbusters coming in to take over for the aging, original crew. "The concept is much larger than any individual role and the promise of Ghostbusters III is that we get to hand the equipment and the franchise down to new blood because my character, Ray, is now blind in one eye, can't drive the Cadillac, has a bad hip, bad knee and can't pick up the pack," Said Aykroyd last August. "Harold [Ramis], uh, Egon is too large to get into the harness. We need young blood and that's the promise." That could mean that Cohen will mostly write for newer characters mixing with older characters, something he has experience in after Men in Black III and Tropic Thunder.
what's the bad news? >> Posted 07.10.12 by Ryan -
Back in 2008, Columbia Pictures hired The Office and Bad Teacher writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky to write the script for Ghostbusters III, with Dan Aykroyd saying months later that production would begin "by late fall 2009." So far, the closest thing that fans have come to getting a third installment in the franchise is the 2009 video game that brought back cast members Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson to lend their voices for their respective characters.
Instead of delivering the proposed sequel, the intervening years have resulted in Aykroyd remaining positive about the sequel's prospects, while Murray became increasingly more cagey about picking up his Proton Pack again. Besides calling Ghostbusters III "his nightmare" and deriding the efforts of Stupnitsky and Eisenberg, Murray finally admitted that he hadn't even read the script last year, eventually leading Aykroyd to reveal in March that the sequel was in "suspended animation." However, in the endless tug-of-war that is Ghostbusters III, it looks like the project is moving forward once more.
perfection is key >> Posted 07.05.12 by Ryan -
If there's one person who's refused to give up on Ghostbusters III, its Dan Aykroyd. The actor, who co-wrote and co-starred in the 1984 original and the 1989 sequel, has been championing the project for years. Bill Murray, however, has been constantly poking fun at the idea of another sequel, at one point calling it "his nightmare." Last year, Murray even admitted that he hadn't read the script from The Office and Bad Teacher writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky.
Undeterred, Aykroyd has pressed on. Last August he said the latest installment would see the original Ghostbusters give up their photon packs to a new generation, and that Ghostbusters III would get made "and hopefully with Mr. Murray." In a recent interview with The Telegraph, it seems that Aykroyd has finally given in, admitting that Murray won't appear and that the sequel is in "suspended animation."
could the sequel be made without murray? >> Posted 03.01.12 by Ryan -
Talk of a potential Ghostbusters III has been going on for years, but the main sticking point has been Bill Murray, who seems to have no interest in returning whatsoever. Usually that leaves either Dan Aykroyd or Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman to publicly address that the sequel is happening, no matter how much Murray seems to slow down any forward progress.
In January, Reitman admitted that the script, from Bad Teacher screenwriters Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, was finally complete, but, a month later, Murray admitted he hadn't read it.
Ackroyd spills Ghostbusters III details >> Posted 08.26.11 by Ryan -
Warner Bros. has released a new theatrical poster and a third trailer for its upcoming 3-D family movie, Yogi Bear, a live-action/CGI adaption of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon.
When greedy Mayor Brown (Andrew Daly) decides to close Jellystone Park, sell the land, and evict all of the furry forest creatures residing within, it's up to Yogi Bear (voiced by Dan Aykroyd) and his loyal sidekick, Boo-Boo (Justin Timberlake), to help Rangers Smith and Jones (Tom Cavanaugh and T.J. Miller) find a way to save the park.
watch the latest Yogi Bear clip >> Posted 11.07.10 by BrentJS -
While a third Ghostbusters movie has been talked about for years, plans for Ghostbusters III started to look realistic when Harold Ramis explained in June of 2009 that he was working on the story for Ghostbusters 3 with his Year One screenwriters Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. At the time, Ramis said that the entire cast "says they'll do it." Six months later he revealed that the script would "introduce some new young Ghostbusters, and all the old guys will be in it, too." While the cast may have casually agreed to return, Ghostbusters III has a very public critic who has continued to punch holes in the possibility of another Ghostbusters: Bill Murray.
Murray vs. Aykroyd >> Posted 10.09.10 by Ryan -
A second trailer for director Eric Brevig's live-action adaptation of Yogi Bear is online. There's nothing that builds on the plot given in the first trailer that premiered in July — that Yogi and Boo Boo (the voices of Dan Aykroyd and, yes, Justin Timberlake, respectively) join forces with Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanaugh) to save Jellystone Park. Instead, the latest trailer serves as another reminder that audiences looking for family-friendly, 3-D fun this December 17 have another option besides Tron: Legacy, which opens the same day.
Posted 09.30.10 by Ryan -
It's been 25 years since the original Ghostbusters taught us who to call when "paranormal activity" gets out of control. But after the poorly-received Ghostbusters II in 1989, it seemed that the franchise was officially dead, at least as far as features were concerned. This year, however, nearly every member of the original production has chimed in on the possibility of resurrecting the franchise.
Dan Aykroyd, who starred as Dr. Raymond Stantz and co-wrote both Ghostbusters movies with Harold Ramis, announced in February that production on a third movie could begin as early as "late fall 2009." In June, Ramis, who starred as Dr. Egon Spengler in addition to his writing duties, said that he was working on a story for the sequel but that he didn't think that director Ivan Reitman was interested. That same month, Reitman responded that he had "never ruled out" returning for another Ghostbusters.
Now, Bill Murray has chimed in on the possibility of reprising the role of Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters III to Absolute Radio (via the Latino Review).
I'll believe it when I see it ... I don't want to do it yet. There's still no script. It's just a bunch of talk. It's just a wish list for someone. Until there's a really good script, I'll stay home and play snooker, or whatever you [British] do. It has to be a serious script before I'll leave the house.
It's gotta be really good, you know? I'm not going to make one just to make another one ... you gotta be really fierce about it.
Posted 10.15.09 by BrentJS -
It's been 25 years since "Who ya gonna call?" became a national catchphrase and 20 years since the bland sequel to Ghostbusters all but ended the franchise. Over the years, there has been sporadic talk about reviving the franchise, but the principals could never agree to terms and the franchise languished. Now, the possibility of a third film about New York City's favorite paranormal investigators seems a possibility, thanks to an unlikely impetus: the Ghostbusters video game.
A couple of weeks ago, Harold Ramis, who co-wrote and starred in the first two Ghostbusters films, said he had written a story for a third film that The Office writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky were adapting into a screenplay. Now, with the Ghostbusters video game becoming the top-selling Xbox 360 game and second best-selling Playstation 3 game on Amazon.com, there is even more talk about the film franchise. As reported in Variety, Mark Caplan, VP of licensing at Sony Pictures said:
For now, we're celebrating the 25th anniversary of the franchise. The game and the Blu-ray (release) will have a big impact on all of us. And we'll decide what to do from there.
The Ghostbusters video game script, co-written by Dan Aykroyd and Ramis, contains more than 10,000 lines of dialgogue and features the voices of principal actors Ramis, Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson. Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis declined to participate for unspecified reasons.
Posted 06.20.09 by BrentJS -
It's been 25 years since the birth of the Ghostbusters franchise and the original creative team is working on a new flick. In a telephone interview yesterday, Comingsoon.net talked to writer/director Harold Ramis (Year One, Analyze This, Groundhog Day) and received some info on the upcoming Ghostbusters III.
Ramis and Dan Aykroyd wrote the scripts for the first two movies and both starred with Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver. Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, who are regular writers for The Office, are developing a first draft of the script and Ramis says he's optimistic that the new movie will feature most of the original cast:
I wrote the story for the new movie with [Eisenberg and Stupnitsky], and Dan [Aykroyd] and I've been consulting. We're justwaiting to see a first draft and where we are ... Everyone says they'll do it; they've all saidthey'll do it. No one has signed anything yet--we haven't signedanything either--but there's the spirit of willingness in the air.
Ramis also talked about whether he or original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman will helm the new movie:
I don't think he wants to;I'm not sure I want to. It's just a lot of open questions.Until we see a script, I don't think anyone really knows how they feelabout it. Everyone's open to doing it, that's the main thing, that'swhat got it moving forward.
.In addition, Ramis said that there will be a younger team of Ghostbusters this time around, with the original characters acting more as mentors.
Ghostbusters III is currently scheduled for release sometime in 2012.
Posted 06.09.09 by reelz