It's been almost a quarter-century since "Ghostbusters 2" reminded us all who to call in case a gooey marshmallow man took over the streets of New York City, and for half of that time, funnyman Dan Aykroyd has been trying to get the overall-clad gang back together.
The major hold-out for "Ghostbusters III," Aykroyd has now confirmed, is Bill Murray.
Aykroyd reportedly penned a draft for "G3" in 1999 and later oversaw a re-write which was met with positive response by the studio and most of the cast, except for Bill Murray.
Speaking to the U.K.'s Telegraph, Aykroyd denied a rumor that the script was sent back to him in shreds with a note from Murray which read, "No one wants to pay money to see fat, old men chasing ghost," but he did confirm that Murray is an absolute "No" for a third installment.
"At this point it's in suspended animation," he explained. "The studio, the director Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis feel there must be a way to do it, but Bill Murray will not do the movie. He doesn't want to be involved. He's got six kids, houses all over America. He golfs in these tournaments where they pay him to turn up and have a laugh. He's into this life and living it. I know we'd have a lot of fun [but] I can't be mad at him. He's a friend first, a colleague second."
While Aykroyd says there's "still interest from the studio," despite Murray's intent to keep Dr. Venkman a ghost of his past, Aykroyd doesn't want "to do a movie that exploits the franchise." For him, he says, "The script has to be perfect. I'm the cheerleader [for the movie being made], but I'm only one voice in the matter."
To quote Dr. Venkman, "What do you think, Egon?" Would you see a "Ghostbusters 3" sans Bill Murray? Why or why not? Sound off in the comments!
