Exclusive video: 'Ghostbusters' -- from Wii to sequel?

Dan Aykroyd's itching to suit up for a third 'Ghostbusters' film and a reunited cast on the video game means there's more than a ghost of a chance.

Dan Aykroyd has waited two decades for the "Ghostbusters" film franchise to come back from Hollywood's great beyond and now it's so close he can feel it in his bones.

"I'm just waiting for that magic phone call," Aykroyd said with a wistful smile. "One day, the producer calls you and says, 'We have a production number,' and that's the real green light. And it's coming soon, I hope. . . . We could be in production by winter."

No Hollywood moneymaking franchise every really gives up the ghost (just ask that dusted-off archaeologist Indiana Jones), but 25 years have passed since the first "Ghostbusters" film and 20 since its lone sequel, and there's reason to wonder whether the franchise's quaint paranormal high jinks would even appeal to a "Harry Potter" generation accustomed to more sophisticated spookery.

Still, Aykroyd and Columbia Pictures are true believers when it comes to the franchise's 21st century afterlife, and one of the main reasons is the upcoming "Ghostbusters: The Video Game," a fact that says a lot about the changing physics of the modern entertainment marketplace.

On June 16, Atari will release the much-anticipated "Ghostbusters" title, which has taken on a mythical aura for gamers after years of delays, a budget north of $12 million and the number of times the property changed hands before landing at troubled Atari. Despite all that, there is intense consumer interest in the game (especially since the maneuvers required to "trap" ghosts lend themselves to some novel game play), and it brought together the core of the original cast for voice work -- two facts that have restarted the dormant "Ghostbusters" film machinery. Here's an exclusive trailer for the video game:

Ivan Reitman, producer and director of the two films, said the video game essentially hit the restart button on the franchise.

"The game itself, and the quick acceptance and intense interest in it, reminded all the creative participants that we have something special here," he said last week. "I think the game, along with the anniversary of the first movie and the Blu-ray release of the two movies [on June 16], all of it reminded us that it's kind of silly that we're not being more active about it."

"Ghostbusters" as a property is controlled by a five-way partnership: Columbia Pictures, Reitman and three of the stars -- Bill Murray, Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. Each has a veto on a new project. Now, for the first time, all five think a third movie should be made. There's some agreement on a plot that involves the original stars, joined by a "new generation" of paranormal investigators.

Within the next month, a script is due from "The Office" writing tandem of Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, the same scribes behind the upcoming Ramis-directed comedy "Year One." It's not clear whether Reitman would direct or whether Ramis, the director of "Groundhog Day" and "Caddyshack," would step in.

"We're going to read the script and, really, nothing has happened or will happen until then," Reitman said. "It's just talk until then."

Perhaps, but Aykroyd, who co-wrote the two movies with Ramis, is already under the spell of the venture. Sitting on an outdoor balcony recently at the Sunset Strip House of Blues (a chain he co-founded), the 56-year-old "Saturday Night Live" alumnus couldn't disguise his excitement.

"I'd like it to be a passing-of-the-torch movie," he said. "Let's revisit the old characters briefly and happily and have them there as family, but let's pass it on to a new generation."

Then, with his familiar deadpan delivery, he added that the creaky stars of the original movie just can't sling their proton packs the way they used to.

 "We've all got hip replacements, shoulder stitches, Harold's eyesight is failing, I can't drive anymore. . . ."

For years, "Ghostbusters" stood as the most successful franchise in Columbia's long history (Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" films now hold that title), with the first film pulling in $292 million worldwide and the sequel adding $215 million. In 2008, a reader poll by Entertainment Weekly ranked "Ghostbusters" as the best comedy of the previous 25 years, and the movies have been perennial strong performers on home video.

Reitman sees the franchise as an inspiration to many of the special-effects comedies that have followed, such as "Men in Black," "Beetle Juice"  and this summer's "Land of the Lost," all of which blend daffy characters with intense effects and real jeopardy.

"I call them genre-benders, taking special effects and putting them together with comedy and making them work legitimately," Reitman said.

"It was a jolting thing when 'Ghostbusters' hit. In the opening sequence at the library . . . at the first screening, half of the people screamed like crazy and then they laughed. They were <i>pumped</i>. They realized they were in for a unique ride."

But is that magic still there? Aykroyd pointed to last year's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" as an example of how a 1980s brand can be updated successfully (and, he noted, the alien skulls "reminded me of the Coneheads"). The fedora revival got decidedly mixed reviews, but it also pulled in a robust $787 million worldwide.

Aykroyd has revisited other past glories (some fans may remember the 1993 film "Coneheads"; most would like to forget "Blues Brothers 2000"), but Murray has been far more standoffish.

As Reitman put it: "I think he's always been the most careful about employment. I think he's the most enigmatic of us and the most hard to reach among us."

The fact that Murray lent his voice to the video game project was a major turning point, considering he had been frosty to the franchise after the 1989 sequel left a sour taste  in his mouth. ("He actually showed up and did it," Aykroyd said of the voice work, "so that's a miracle.")

Murray could not be reached for comment for this article, but at a news conference last year in New York for the film "City of Ember," he expressed a newfound cheer about the franchise that solidified his stardom in the 1980s.

"The wounds of 'Ghostbusters II' are healed," the wry Murray said. He added: "We did a sequel, and it was sort of rather unsatisfying for me, because the first one to me was the goods. It was the real thing. And the sequel . . . the special-effects guys got it and got their hands on it. And it was just not the same movie. There were a few great scenes in it, but it wasn't the same movie."

Despite the public perception, Aykroyd said Murray was not the lone stumbling block.

"I don't put not making the third movie on Billy . . . you can't blame an artist for not wanting to do the same thing again. He did two of them, for God's sake. Although I'm the biggest cheerleader as the originator of the concept, but I've never begrudged Billy not doing a third movie."

Murray also had positive things to say last year about the new screenwriting duo, but it's of course possible that he might read the new script and decide to pass on this entire cinematic séance. Aykroyd hopes not; he's already doing some cast daydreaming -- he'd like to see Alyssa Milano (who lends her voice to a character in the video game) and Eliza Dushku of "Dollhouse" as the first female Ghostbusters. "I think they're amazing," he said. "And I'm excited about the whole idea of getting this done."

You could almost hear Ray Parker Jr. singing the familiar theme song as Aykroyd smiled and said: "I'm just waiting for that phone call."

-- Geoff Boucher

Photos: Top is Dan Aykroyd (Credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times).  Next down is a photo from the original 1984 release of "Ghostbusters" with Bill Murray, left, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis (Credit: Columbia Picturs), and last is a screenshot from the 'Ghostbusters' video game (Credit: Atari). 

RECENT AND RELATED

"Ghostbusters," the videogame and the Bluray release

Dan Aykroyd says "Ghostbusters 3" may start filming in winter

"Dune" and "Robocop" are among 1980s film revivials

Will Ferrell goes to the "Land of the Lost"

"Galaxy Quest" was a worry for new "Star Trek" team

Dan Aykroyd says 'Ghostbusters 3' may start filming in winter

 

I just visited with Dan Aykroyd over at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip for an interview for an upcoming feature in the Los Angeles Times (you'll be able to find it here on the Hero Complex as well). We talked about a wide range of topics, but I didn't want to wait on this update about the third "Ghostbusters" film, which is moving forward after so many years.

Aykroyd said Sigourney Weaver is on board now, as are the original squad of ectoplasmic specialists -- Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson. Murray's presence was the pivot point in making a third film happen. He holds a one-fifth controlling interest in the property rights and has been seen as the most reluctant to return to the paranormal comedy. Aykroyd said that is true but that it's more nuanced than the public portrayal of the situation.

"I don't put not making the third movie on Billy. We can't do that. I've been very busy. Harold's been busy, Ivan's been busy. And a third script really didn't coalesce properly. And Billy, you can't blame an artist for not wanting to do the same thing again. He did two of them, for God's sake. Although I'm the biggest cheerleader as the originator of the concept but I've never begrudged Billy not doing a third movie. I never said he held it up or that he refused. Hey, listen, he's an artist. You can't force somebody into it. I'm sorry he never read my third draft because I thought it was pretty good but, look, now we're at a point that there's a story that he can accept and that's going to work, and I think we're going to be in production fairly soon. We could be in production by winter."

The script is by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, the writing team behind the upcoming Jack Black/Michael Cera movie "Year One" (directed by Ramis), and Aykroyd is enthused about its premise of a new generation of Ghostbusters taking over the duties of the aging team. Aykroyd said he wishes Ivan Reitman would return to direct the third film in the series but that he's "too busy as a mega-producer" to take it on; his second choice is Ramis, who, of course, co-wrote the first two "Ghostbusters" films with Aykroyd and has numerous directing credits, most notably "Groundhog Day" and "Analyze This." "He has a lot of things going on, but it would be wonderful to see him do it."

Aykroyd says he believes the movie will move forward but that he has also learned that "at any second everything could blow up." The details of story are still in play, but Aykroyd said he's hoping for a five-member "new generation" team with several female members. "I'd like it to be a passing-of-the-torch movie. Let's revisit the old characters briefly and happily and have them there as family but let's pass it on to a new generation."

Who does Aykroyd think would be good in the jumpsuits? Aykroyd mentioned two names, Alyssa Milano (who is a voice in the upcoming "Ghostbusters" video game) and Eliza Dushku. "I think they're amazing," he said. "And I'm excited about the whole idea of getting this done."

--Geoff Boucher

RECENT AND RELATED

"Ghostbusters," the videogame and the Bluray release

"Dune" and "Robocop" are among 1980s film revivials

Will Ferrell goes to the "Land of the Lost"

"Galaxy Quest" was a worry for new "Star Trek" team

  

Ghostbusters: The new sequel, the Blu-ray release, the toys and the video game

This year is the 25th anniversary of "Ghostbusters" and there's plenty of back-from-the-dead stirrings by the beloved franchise. "Ghostbusters" will hit Blue-ray for the first time in June and that same month a highly anticipated (and long-delayed) next-gen video game hits the shelves. Here's a new trailer for the game ...

There's also some toy news. Here's an excerpt from a new Mattel press release:

Mattel's "Ghostbusters" collectible line debuts with 12-inch figures in June 2009, and will be available exclusively at MattyCollector.com. Each figure will feature window box packaging and include authentic Ghostbuster equipment unique to each character. For the first time, Mattel's line will include talent likeness of Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman and Winston Zeddemore. Select prototype figures will be on display February 6-8 at New York Comic Con and February 15 at Mattel's New York Toy Fair Collector Preview Night (by invitation only).

And what about a film revival? A few months ago, Harold Ramis, who co-wrote and costarred in the original, said there is a ramping effort to make a sequel that would have the original cast back in "some mentor capacity" with the familiar characters handing the keys of Ecto-1 to a new generation. He said the "Office" writing team of Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg are at work on the story and Judd Apatow would probably be in the mix in some way as well. Not everyone is thrilled with the idea, including Seth Rogen. "It sounds," he said in October, "like the worst idea ever."

For fun, from that long-lost summer of 1984, here's the music video for Ray Parker Jr.'s catchy and chart-topping (but perhaps less than original) theme song to "Ghostbusters," one of the best popcorn movies ever...

-- Geoff Boucher

RECENT AND RELATED

The lowdown on 13 planned remakes of sci-fi classic films

Photo gallery: Sci-fi wardrobe through the decades

Back to the future: The next step for "Trek," "Star Wars" and "Battlestar"

13 upcoming remakes of Hollywood sci-fi classics

Hollywood, Back to the Future: Top filmmakers have already dipped into the sci-fi vault for 21st century remakes of “The War of the Worlds,” “The Planet of the Apes” and the upcoming “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” so what’s next on the revival list? Plenty. Here’s a list of a dozen remakes and revival projects now at various stages in the studio pipeline.

"When Worlds Collide" Steven Spielberg is one of the producers and Stephen Sommers (“The Mummy,” “Van Helsing”), infamous for his “give me more” attitude toward CGI effects, is directing. Like the original 1951 film produced by George Pal, this “Worlds,” due in theaters next year, is about the mad scramble to build a spaceship to save humanity before Earth is destroyed by a rogue planet entering its orbit. The problem comes when there aren’t enough seats for everybody on Earth.

"The Terminator" It’s not a remake, but filmmaker McG’s plan to revive the killer robot franchise with a new sequel next summer starring Christian Bale as John Connor has been circled by fans after a strong showing this past summer at Comic-Con International. “Terminator Salvation” is set in the future and shows the grim war between humans and Skynet with its murderous metallic armies. The plan is for a full trilogy — which means a certain California politician may well live up to that long-ago promise: “I’ll be back.”

"Robocop" If the Terminator can get tuned up for a revival, why not that other 1980s mechanical hero? After several fits and starts, MGM announced in March that a reboot of “Robocop” would be in theaters in 2010. Darren Aronofsky (“The Wrestler,” “Requiem for a Dream”) is directing the remake of Paul Verhoeven’s bloody movie about a Detroit cop who is gunned down but then put back on patrol as a cyborg with troubled soul.

"Ghostbusters" There’s talk of making a third installment in the hugely successful sci-fi comedy franchise and bringing back the original crew -- Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson -- as well as some new-blood, second-generation busters. Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, writers for “The Office,” are at work on the script for Columbia Pictures and Murray, in the past the most reluctant to return to the franchise, has said publicly that he’s open to the idea. There was talk of Seth Rogen being a likely cast addition but don’t bother calling him: “It sounds,” he said in October, “like the worst idea ever."

"The Creature from the Black Lagoon" Breck Eisner, the director of “Sahara” and son of former Disney chief Michael Eisner, is directing while screenwriter Gary Ross is on board to retell the story of an Amazon River expedition that crosses paths with a prehistoric amphibian humanoid. The presence of Ross gives the 2009 release a link to the original 1954 film — that Universal classic was written by his father, Arthur A. Ross. Bill Paxton's name has come up as one of the rumored cast members.

"Flash Gordon" After the “Black Lagoon” remake, director Eisner is planning to revive Flash Gordon for Columbia, bringing back the brand that hit the silver screen in 1980 with the campy Dino DeLaurentiis production that so memorably featured the music of Queen, not to mention the unexpectedly galactic pair of Topol and Timothy Dalton. Alex Raymond’s classic space hero, originally created as a comic strip rival to Buck Rogers, celebrates his 75th anniversary in pop culture next month but it's not clear that his retro appeal still holds. Earlier this year, Sci Fi canceled its “Flash Gordon” series, which had ratings that proved that Ming isn’t the one who is merciless.    

Harold Ramis talks 'Ghostbusters' revival

There are more details on the effort to scare up a new "Ghostbusters" film. Flixster has a post about an e-mail interview with Dr. Egon Spengler himself, Harold Ramis. Here's what the actor and filmmaker shared:

"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 [Akroyd], 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."

The Apatow presence immediately conjures up images of Steve Carrell, Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd in jumpsuits with proton packs on their backs. I think Jonah Hill would make a great Slimer. What do you think? Would you want to see that crew crossing their streams?

Here's the trailer for the original "Ghostbusters," released in 1984.

-- Geoff Boucher

RELATED Columbia Pictures wants to bring "Ghostbusters" back to life

RELATED Kevin Smith wants to make Seth Rogen a superhero

Photo by Phillip V. Caruso/Warner Bros

'Ghostbusters' back from the great beyond?

OK, I can't resist: Who you gonna call?

Believe it or not, the answer might be the Ghostbusters. This just in from a Variety article:

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.

There was a lot of talk down at Comic-Con International about a new "Ghostbusters" movie and it seemed like the natural place to announce it considering Aykroyd and Hudson were scheduled to appear at a panel promoting the upcoming video game based on the 1980s paranormal comedy. But the two stars ended up not appearing (it was probably the biggest cancellation at this year's Con; I know I was bummed because I had an interview scheduled with Aykroyd on site).