It has been 21 years since the last Ghostbusters sequel, which wasn't as good as the original and didn't gross as much. Despite that, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has tried over and over to scare up a new ghost comedy that would attract Murray and his fellows Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis for another return. It has gone long when a studio hurries a sequel to take the profit from the energy of the last movie. Nobody was going to run unless a good script made it useful.
The studio won't even think about forward on a $150 million film unless Bill has a closed deal and a commitment. It's too huge a risk to do any meaningful prep, hoping he shows up.
an insider is quoted as saying.
Ghostbusters, titled as Ghost Busters, is a 1984 American comedy written by co-stars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis about three eccentric NYC parapsychologists-turned-ghost capturers. The film was released in the US on June 8, 1984 and like some films of the age, teamed Aykroyd and/or Ramis with Bill Murray. It was produced and directed by Ivan Reitman, (Stripes, No Strings Attached), and stars Murray, Aykroyd, Ramis, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, and Ernie Hudson. The film made US$291,632,124 in the US, and the equivalent of $538,260,000. The film is ranked as 32nd biggest grossing in U.S. box office history.
According to Deadline, studios SPE hesitate to risk mounting a second sequel in the big budget comedy franchise unless Murray agrees to join old cast-members Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson. Aykroyd and Ramis recently delivered a revised script, by Office duo Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky to Murray, who is infamously not easy to contact as he has no agent or publicist. Murray has rejected the notion of starring in a third Ghostbusters tour before. However his involvement in the 2009 video game and an appearance in overall and replica proton pack during last year's Spike TV Scream Awards has been a sign of he may be willing to come back.
Director Ivan Reitman is on board to manage Ghostbusters 3, which Sony hopes to release in cinemas in December 2012. He is still deciding if the third installment of Ghostbusters should be made in 3-D.
It seems like a cool idea. What I have to really study is whether comedy works this way.
