Dan Aykroyd Wants To Extend Ghostbusters Franchise Beyond Another Sequel
Dan Aykroyd said the newest Ghostbusters sequel is just the beginning for the franchise.
The brains behind the third installation of the series recently shared his plans for branching out the series, one that might follow the ghost hunters from before they picked up their proton packs.
“It’s beyond just another sequel, a prequel, another TV show. I’m thinking what does the whole brand mean to Sony?” he told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, adding that the Ghostbusters franchise has potential to be “not just another movie or another TV show, but what’s the totality of it? The whole mythology from the beginning of their lives, the end of their lives. Ghostbusters at nine years old, Ghostbusters in high school.”
While Dan Aykroyd’s plans may still be far off, Ghostbusters 3 is moving ahead at full steam. Ivan Reitman, who directed the first two movies and is producing the third, said the newest installation is being written “as we speak.”
“The studio is in, and we have writers working on it as we speak,” Reitman said. “We’re hoping to film at the beginning of next year. Dan Aykroyd and I meet about once a month to talk about it.”
The wild card of the scenario is Bill Murray, who had refused to commit to the project when it stalled after the death of Harold Ramis. But Reitman thinks there still could be hope for Murray to get on board.
“Two TIFFs ago, we had a late dinner at Sotto Sotto, and we ate and talked until 4:30 in the morning,” Reitman said. ” I told him, ‘I don’t care if you do Ghostbusters—I mean, I’d love it if you did—but why aren’t you doing leading parts for big studio films?”
There is a chance that Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray may not need large roles for Ghostbusters 3. Murray recently said he would like to see an all-female cast, one led by Kristen Wiig. Neither Aykroyd nor Reitman have confirmed whether this is the route for the third movie.
