Will There Will Be A Ghostbusters 3 in Our Lifetime?

Dan Aykroyd seems optimistic about a possible Ghostbusters 3 that should go on ahead whether or not Bill Murray will reprise his role as Dr. Peter Venkman.

At this point it’s getting kind of tiring to even write about Ghostbusters 3 - what with all the back-and-forth rumors and talk from the former cast members (Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray in particular) and director Ivan Reitman. No matter what has been said about the status of the film, who will or will not be coming back, and what the plot will be, it’s all summated to one glaring truth: lot of talk, very little action.

But now, according (yet again) to Dan Aykroyd, the Ghostbusters threequel is about to stop spinning its wheels in development limbo and start moving full-speed ahead – perhaps without Bill Murray​.

The latest word from Aykroyd came during the actor’s conversation with comedian Dennis Miller during a segment of Miller’s radio show, The Dennis Miller Show (fitting name). Here’s what Aykroyd had to say, in response to the question of whether they were going to start making Ghostbusters 3:

Ah yes, we will be doing the movie, and hopefully with Mr. Murray – that is our hope. We have an excellent script, and what we have to remember is that Ghostbusters is kind of bigger than any one component. Although Billy was absolutely the lead and was contributive to it in a massive way – as was the director [Ivan Reitman] and [Harold Ramis], myself, and all of us, Sigourney – the concept is bigger than an individual role. The promise of ‘Ghostbusters 3′ 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, a bad knee, can’t pick up the [proton pack] – Egon is too large to get into the harness – so we need young blood. And that’s the promise: we’re going to hand it to a new generation. So yes, we will begin production in the Spring, I hope.

When asked by Miller if there were any specific actors they were considering as “new blood,” Aykroyd responded:

I like this guy Matthew Gray Gubler​ from the Criminal Minds show – but it’s going to be a casting, we’re going to see everyone who wants to do it…we need three guys and a young woman.

Now, there are a few important things that need to be extrapolated from those statements Aykroyd made:

1. There’s the whole “hopefully with Mr. Murray – that is our hope” bit. The way Aykroyd conveyed that information makes it sound like they will move ahead with Ghostbusters 3 with or without Bill Murray. Of course, Murray is one of the rights holders of the franchise, and needs to approve any new films before they can be made; but then, he could give his blessing to make the threequel without ever having to become involved in it himself. Nothing easier than sitting back and collecting money.
2. It sounded pretty certain that they will start making the movie in spring of 2012, which would put it on track for either late 2012 or early 2013.
3. By now it’s common knowledge that The Office writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky were working with Aykroyd and Ramis to craft a “passing the torch” storyline for the film, but Aykroyd has now confirmed that they are going for a new team of young Ghostbusters – one that will be three-quarters male and one-quarter female.
4. Matthew Gray Gubler? I’m not familiar with his work on Criminal Minds, so I wonder if he has the comedic chops of a true Ghostbuster. Let us know in the comments.

If this all pans out, I know a lot of fans will be happy that all the talk is over and something is actually happening with this flick. Of course, they’ll be less happy if they then find out that Bill Murray isn’t a part of the project – and they’ll be wishing this Pandora’s Box never got opened at all if Ghostbusters 3 ends up being like the last film that Ramis, Eisenberg and Stupnitsky worked on together – the reprehensible Year One. Remember: concern about how badly that film turned out is the reason why Bill Murray hasn’t been enthused about the prospects of this new Ghostbusters flick.