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Re: Ghostbusters III (Murray is IN!)
Who you gonna call? Columbia Pictures has apparently heard the fans call for a third film in the horror-comedy franchise GHOSTBUSTERS as they have finally, finally set the long-gestured sequel in motion. Even though a script is being written with the intent of bringing back all four original busters, the article reports that reaching an agreement is still going to be a factor. Read on for the story and watch for updates as soon as a draft of the screenplay is delivered.
Columbia Pictures is getting serious about scaring up a new installment of its blockbuster "Ghostbusters" franchise.
The studio has set "The Office" co-exec producers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky to write a script for a film designed to bring back together the original cast of Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson.
Studio would not comment on the development and has been mum on recent rumors that there was interest in making another installment of the franchise.
The scribes just wrote "Year One," a comedy that was directed by Ramis. Ramis with Aykroyd wrote the first two installments of the films. Ivan Reitman directed both the 1984 original and the sequel that was released in 1989. The close proximity between the writers and original Ghostbuster Ramis is evidence that the ghost chasers have sparked to the idea of returning.
"Ghostbusters" was Columbia's highest grossing film ever, until it was beaten by "Men in Black" and then "Spider-Man." An attempt to make a third installment of the franchise was stymied in the dealmaking stage. Sources said so much gross was pledged to the participants that it was next to impossible for the studio to make any money on a third installment.
No deals will be made with the original cast until the script is ready, but the gross percentage will certainly be an issue. Sony has a standing policy not to allow more than 25% of first dollar gross out the door.
The scribes, who are Emmy- nominated for their work on "The Office," just set up another picture at Columbia, selling their spec script "Bad Teacher" to the studio for Jimmy Miller to produce.
-Bloody Disgusting-
Re: Ghostbusters III (Murray is IN!)
Ok. Here's what we know about Ghostbusters 3:
-Dan Ackroyd wrote a draft that was huge and turned down for being far too expensive to actually make.
-Dan Ackroyd reveals that this project is called Ghostbusters In Hell:
'I wrote a script called Hell Bent, Ghostbusters go to hell basically. The premise is that it's Manhellton. There's Manhattan and ManHELLton. And if you can build an inter-dimensional phase system so that you can go from one dimension to another. We've succeeded doing that and we go to the hell side.
Downtown, Folley Square - where the cops are, they're all blue minotaurs. Central Park is this huge deep mine, green demons there, surrounded by black onyx thousand foot high apartment buildings with classic red devils. Very wealthy. And we go visit a Donald Trump like character - Mr. Siffler. Lou Siffler, Lucifer. So I will say we meet the devil in it.'
- Harold Ramis speculates that Ben Stiller could be cast in the 3rd Ghostbusters.
-Nothing happens for awhile.
- A Ghostbusters video game is announced, forwarding the storyline to the 90s, where the guys are government-sponsered. The developers think about calling the game Ghostbusters 3.
- No one wants to distribute the Ghostbusters video game and the project slips into limbo where it remains.
- A rumor starts that Judd Apatow is going to pick up Ghostbusters with Seth Rogen, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and Romany Malco as the new clan.
-Seth Rogen says this isn't true.
-Dan Ackroyd says this, which re-ignites rumors of a third live action Ghostbusters, while simultaneously sparking more Apatow gossip:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/lin … 1772099378
We don't know what's going on anymore. Our best guess is that there is a Ghostbusters 3 script being written by two more guys. Our theory also assumes that Dan Ackroyd doesn't know that Rogen doesn't know anything either, so they are just shooting rumors back and forth.
Someone get them in a room together.
-The Bad & Ugly-
Re: Ghostbusters III (Murray is IN!)
Actually,
I think the (apparent) scrapping of Aykroyd's original Manhellton storyline and a fresh start with new blood in the creative team is the best thing that's happened to this project in a while.
Aykroyd, to his credit, has worked long and hard to keep the project alive over the past years. But like so many other valuable commodities, the GB franchise is under Aykroyd's jurisdiction as long as the studio isn't seriously contemplating over a new entry. He had 15 years since the previous film to write a script that'd blow everyones socks off, and the best he could do was the turgid Ghostbusters in Hell storyline.
It's certainly more interesting to bring outsider writers in, as I think at some point Aykroyd just got caught with GB's success and instead of coming up something that's equally as witty and original as the initial film, he resorted to upping the ante on the rollercoaster side and as a surefire way to top the preceding films, he opted to take on the afterlife. Nothing wrong with that, but I doubt he remembered to include the things that made the original film so appealing.
The original film found the 'busters as Steve Jobs/Wozniak figures crossed with plumbers, post-grads discovering a killer business venture. Their plight is recognizable to anyone dreaming of their own business, the nature of their work ambiguous enough to appeal to various social classes (blue-collar scientists, if you may). Hiring the black guy was amusing turning point, as they got into the level at which they actually had to enlist outside help out in the field, which is a distinct turning point in every business. Rounding up the shop and the booming of the biz is half the fun in the midst of all the ghost-hunting, while the latter definitely distinguishes the franchise from On The Waterfront and any other film studying the labor.
When you start throwing the team into Hell battling ghosts, you tend to lose that allure.
Now, there's a whole slew of decisions to be made as to where the ghost-catching business has gone to in the past decade or so. It's already established that the amount of paranormal activity fluctuates in NYC, so they need some alternative sources of revenue to maintain the establishment. I'd might like the idea of government-funding, as it'd put them into an Area 51-type setting with gag orders that'd kill Venkman for one as he couldn't ride the fame no longer.
If the US Mil would be taking over, that would relinquish ghost-hunting from the premises of the rich and wealthy and give the proton packs to 'away teams' that would go into really scary places like Abu Ghraib or Auschwitz, where'd there really be some wild things from the other side. Or even, they could follow any main troop around and be ready to clean up the battlefield on the day after the fight - effectively going through the second time.
You could also throw in the R&D aspect and seeking the foundation of life itself with captured specimens - I'd hate to think scientists like Egon and Ray would let all those spooks just float around in the containment grid for years on end. Also, I'd doubt Winston, the odd man out with no degree, could hold a steady job even as an assistant when the work would grow overtly technical, so there'd be possibilities for all sorts of disruption amongst the original crew.
Soon, things would go horribly wrong (with Men in Black et al), and the ghostbusting team would find their department closed with the government claiming ownership of all data and gear. At this point, they'd need to get back to basics and start thinking outside the box once again, putting up a competing business to take on the US Military's ghost-hunters.
The only problem is that it should be a family movie. 
Re: Ghostbusters III (Murray is IN!)
- A rumor starts that Judd Apatow is going to pick up Ghostbusters with Seth Rogen, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and Romany Malco as the new clan.
I will fucking riot if there is even a hint of truth to this. Either do it right, or let it die.
Re: Ghostbusters III (Murray is IN!)
Paint us surprised, which can only be some sort of Dr. Seuss like color whose polka dots are kept uniform in a pool of liquid paint, because Variety has added the first taste of actual progress on the front of a live action Ghostbusters 3 that we've had this year.
The Ghostbusters video game, announced last year, postponed any discussion of a live action Ghostbusters 3 with the original cast, now, about 10 months later, we get news that Dan Ackroyd's comments earlier this week about two up-and-coming writers penning a new Ghostbusters wasn't just Ackroyd wishful thinking.
From Variety:
Columbia Pictures is getting serious about scaring up a new installment of its blockbuster 'Ghostbusters' franchise.
The studio has set 'The Office' co-exec producers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky to write a script for a film designed to bring back together the original cast of Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson.
Studio would not comment on the development and has been mum on recent rumors that there was interest in making another installment of the franchise.
The scribes just wrote 'Year One,' a comedy that was directed by Ramis. Ramis with Aykroyd wrote the first two installments of the films. Ivan Reitman directed both the 1984 original and the sequel that was released in 1989. The close proximity between the writers and original Ghostbuster Ramis is evidence that the ghost chasers have sparked to the idea of returning.
Eisenberg and Stupnitsky, rumor has it, have discussed this project with both Reitman and Ramis, and will probably include a story about the next generation of Ghostbusters. Who those are, and the involvement of Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen are still hanging in the balance.
Regardless of if this is a good idea or not, it's nice to have some solid news 19 years after the last Ghostbusters movie.
-The Bad & Ugly-
Re: Ghostbusters III (Murray is IN!)
Let the speculations begin and watch as rumors turn into fact (kind of) as Harold Ramis responds to this past weeks monster Ghostbusters 3 announcement over at the Chicago Tribune. Inside you can read about the possibilities of Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson all returning, along with Sony's hopes to bring in the Apatow crew.
Ramis tells the Chicago Tribune:
"yes, columbia is developing a script for GB3 with my year one writing partners, gene stupnitsky and lee eisenberg. judd apatow is co-producing year one and has made several other films for sony, so of course the studio is hoping to tap into some of the same acting talent. aykroyd, ivan reitman and i are consulting at this point, and according to dan, bill murray is willing to be involved on some level. he did record his dialogue for the new ghostbusters video game, as did danny and i, and ernie hudson. the concept is that the old ghostbusters would appear in the film in some mentor capacity. not much else to say at this point. everyone is confident a decent script can be written and i guess we'll take it from there.
best,
harold"
There you have it, word straight for the horses mouth. Hopefully the internet and fan base can help keep the heavy buzz alive or at least strong enough to get all four to return.
-Bloody Disgusting-
