Ghostbusters 2016: Talk about the movie(s).

[The Fatman]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

I remember reading an article from a year or so ago that not only do Aykroyd, Ramis, and Reitman control the rights, that Ivan Reitman has right of first refusal to direct and Sony wants "fresh eyes" on the franchise... which is another stumbling block.

I have also heard that no one is overly enthused about the script as it currently exists, which primarily stars Oscar Barrett-Venkman joining the business after Peter's death.

 

[I Grok Spock]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

I really like Crystal Skull, not perfect but better than the 'net gives it credit for.

I liked Crystal Skull as well.

Perhaps I should have said "We don't need another Blues Brothers 2000."

I certainly liked parts of KOTCS - primarily in the first couple of acts. Hell, I've got the Blu-ray on my shelf. But it just didn't come together for me and really went off the rails in the latter half. Kind of like Die Another Day.

Anyway, on topic, I agree that GB3 would be better off as a full reboot.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

I remember in an issue of Starlog at time of Ghostbusters II Murrary said he wanted it be called "The Last of the Ghostbusters".

I always assumed it was his desire to limit endless sequels. Perhaps an early pitch to him was a true ending to their adventures.

I am also a fan of the most recent Indiana Jones. At least there was a strong desire of all the prinicpals to return. While this whole thing reeks of a cynical money grab.

Another problem is I don't think Ghostbusters ever properly established itself as a franchise. The second film owed too much of its plot and characters to the first one. So now there is an expectation of seeing Louis and Dana again. With Indiana Jones, you just put him into a new adventure. Its hard to imagine that Peter, Ray, Egon, and Winston have been living in that same Firehouse busting ghosts for over 25 years. The second film already did the "lets bring the gang back together" plot.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

Didn't they only make GBII in the first place due to the success of the cartoon at the time?

 

[Timby]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

Probably not, but it's clear from all the interviews his given in the past that he's not a fan of it. In the interview with Stern he goes on to say that it didn't turn out the way it was originally presented to him which makes me wonder about the original pitch to him. I take those comments as he was pitched a totally different story than the one we eventually got.

Nah, the story was pretty much the same from first draft to final. Basically, Murray's displeasure with Ghostbusters II stems from how he only agreed to do the sequel because he thought it would be another fun experience, like the original, and it was a very, very tense set with very little improv, and the characters / comedy took a back seat to special effects (the latter being his big gripe). He feels the movie wasn't very funny at all, and his displeasure with it was kind of the first spark in the massive blowup that he and Ramis later had on Groundhog Day.

Didn't they only make GBII in the first place due to the success of the cartoon at the time?

Essentially, yes. The first movie was still selling like wildfire on home video, and The Real Ghostbusters was moving metric fucktons of merchandise. It was a movie made simply because Columbia wanted to strike while the iron was hot.

Is there really a need to do this?

Do you have a problem with either of these statements?

Yes, I have a problem with these unneccessary bashes. Would you do that with members of this board?

I'm sure Mssrs. Aykroyd and Murray are positively wounded to the core by some guy on a Star Trek message board jokingly calling one "a crazy bastard" and pointing out the other's decades-long drug habit, and I'm sure they're honored by your white knighting.

I have also heard that no one is overly enthused about the script as it currently exists

This is what happens when you hire the writers of motherfucking Year One to write your script.

 

[EnsignAmy]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

I liked Crystal Skull as well.

Big confession: I loved "Crystal Skull," at least when I saw it in the theater. I was just SO excited to be seeing a new Indy movie. I saw it with my boyfriend and I turned to him afterwards and told him how awesome it was, and he looked at me like I was crazy and said that it was horrible and that the Internet would agree with him.

And that's pretty much what happened.

 

[Gaith]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

It's hard to imagine that Peter, Ray, Egon, and Winston have been living in that same Firehouse busting ghosts for over 25 years. The second film already did the "lets bring the gang back together" plot.

Indeed. Assuming any future movies launches a "next generation" of 'Busters, it strikes me as if anyone should appear in the movie, it'd be Ramis. Wasn't Egon the most knowledgeable and supernatural-obsessed of the four? I see him in a Master Splinter-type part, chuckling at the antics of the new gang.

As for the story, here ya go:

All the original Busters minus Egon (see above) have retired. The new guys keep the torch alive, since Egon refuses to share his inventions, so the city and authorities need them around, but they sometimes only barely tolerate them, particularly when they mess up due to their general scrappy-ness. Egon is so protective of his tech because he's found a way to shepherd ghosts and ghouls into a higher dimension of being, where they can finally know peace (and not bother anyone).

Enter a new gang in town: the Ghostshredders. Well-financed, flashy and professional, they zap ghosts with far greater efficiency than the Busters. The City embraces them...

... But before long, the gang figures out that the Shredders don't capture the ghosts, they annihilate (spiritual-murder) them. The Busters to bring them down, or force them to reform to more humane (ghosmane?) tactics).

From there, turns out the Shredders CEO is a demon, portal to hell, battles in Grid/Hell version of NYC, etc. When all hope is lost, they're saved by a mysterious spirit... it's Venkman, appearing in a super-cheesy Force-vision-esque form. Turns out all these years he's spent getting high on ganga (mixing Murray with the character here), he's been navigating other planes of existence, and has found all kinds of groovy truths. Venkman ascends to such a higher plane, the gang escapes back to real NYC, ghost-shredding is outlawed, Egon becomes a beloved public spiritual guru, and the Busters get private grants large enough to upgrade their tech. Happy end.


Take it, Columbia/Sony/Ramis/whoever. You're welcome.

 

[Timby]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

All the original Busters minus Egon (see above) have retired. The new guys keep the torch alive, since Egon refuses to share his inventions, so the city and authorities need them around, but they sometimes only barely tolerate them, particularly when they mess up due to their general scrappy-ness. Egon is so protective of his tech because he's found a way to shepherd ghosts and ghouls into a higher dimension of being, where they can finally know peace (and not bother anyone).

Enter a new gang in town: the Ghostshredders. Well-financed, flashy and professional, they zap ghosts with far greater efficiency than the Busters. The City embraces them...

... But before long, the gang figures out that the Shredders don't capture the ghosts, they annihilate (spiritual-murder) them. The Busters to bring them down, or force them to reform to more humane (ghosmane?) tactics).

From there, turns out the Shredders CEO is a demon, portal to hell, battles in Grid/Hell version of NYC, etc. When all hope is lost, they're saved by a mysterious spirit... it's Venkman, appearing in a super-cheesy Force-vision-esque form. Turns out all these years he's spent getting high on ganga (mixing Murray with the character here), he's been navigating other planes of existence, and has found all kinds of groovy truths. Venkman ascends to such a higher plane, the gang escapes back to real NYC, ghost-shredding is outlawed, Egon becomes a beloved public spiritual guru, and the Busters get private grants large enough to upgrade their tech. Happy end.

This is a mix of Extreme Ghostbusters, one or two plots of The Real Ghostbusters, the 1999 draft of Ghostbusters: Hellbent and a massive

. Alternatively,

Yeah, that's certainly a, uh ... thing.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

Interesting story proposal and yeah it combines elements of Extreme Ghosbusters and the The Real Ghostbusters episode "Citizen Ghost" which explained how Slimer came to live with them (but not why he was absent in Ghosbusters II interestingly enough from the firehouse) and they're confrontation against Ghost duplicates of themselves.

Egon was the pure scientist of the three, Ray was the big believer of the supernatural (based on Dan Ackroyd's real life interest in the subject) and Peter was the sardonic skeptic who was basically along for the ride.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

I would take a completely different approach. Almost a mockumentary style film. Show that Peter's ideas to franchise the business really did happen. So their world is not really ours but a slightly alternate one. I think it could be more fun that way. Showing a world that publicly acknowledges ghosts. Of course their would be the skeptics.

Embrace the time since the last film. This way there could be multiple groups of Ghostbusters, including the "Real" ones. Without some heavy-handed passing the torch to a new generation stuff. In fact it could be a brilliant way of satirizing the very notion of sequels and the franchising of these things. There would be disputes among the guys about if they lost there way since their glory days. Ray taking that side and Peter happy to just count his money.

This is the only way I could see Bill Murrary getting excited about it again. Finding a fresh source of humor. Instead of it being treated as just a horror or fantasy film. Of course Akroyd would be the source of whatever supernatural plot that would be building towards the big action climax.

 

[Gaith]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

This is a mix of Extreme Ghostbusters, one or two plots of The Real Ghostbusters, the 1999 draft of Ghostbusters: Hellbent and a massive

. Alternatively,

Yeah, that's certainly a, uh ... thing.

I've never seen any of those, though I have heard vague rumors of "Busters go to Hell" GBIII scripts. Just goes to show there's nothing new under the sun. I sometimes think that Back to the Future was the last truly original story idea man can ever produce.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

I've read a really, really bad fan script based on the "Hellbent" plot years ago. I like the idea and concept of "Hellbent" I personally just think it needed to be tweaked.

@Donald Draper, I really love your mocumentary idea. I once wrote a three page treatment entitled "Ghostbusters Vs The Blair Witch" involving the boys being called to Burketisville by the town historian (the bloke we saw in the Sci-Fi Channel mocumentary) about six months after the events of the first movie. They encounter Elly Kedward and after being spooked by her for a bit they end up busting her.

 

[Gaith]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

I would take a completely different approach. Almost a mockumentary style film. Show that Peter's ideas to franchise the business really did happen. So their world is not really ours but a slightly alternate one. I think it could be more fun that way. Showing a world that publicly acknowledges ghosts. Of course their would be the skeptics.

Embrace the time since the last film. This way there could be multiple groups of Ghostbusters, including the "Real" ones. Without some heavy-handed passing the torch to a new generation stuff. In fact it could be a brilliant way of satirizing the very notion of sequels and the franchising of these things. There would be disputes among the guys about if they lost there way since their glory days. Ray taking that side and Peter happy to just count his money.

This is the only way I could see Bill Murrary getting excited about it again. Finding a fresh source of humor. Instead of it being treated as just a horror or fantasy film. Of course Akroyd would be the source of whatever supernatural plot that would be building towards the big action climax.

My idea involves "a world that publicly acknowledges ghosts", "embraces the time since the last film" and doesn't have a "heavy-handed possing the torch" tone that permeated Tron Legacy. Other than that, your idea is indeed a "completely different approach".

 

[Captain Craig]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

I liked Crystal Skull as well.

Big confession: I loved "Crystal Skull," at least when I saw it in the theater. I was just SO excited to be seeing a new Indy movie. I saw it with my boyfriend and I turned to him afterwards and told him how awesome it was, and he looked at me like I was crazy and said that it was horrible and that the Internet would agree with him.

And that's pretty much what happened.

He means message boards and critics and that is still a minority. The movie continues to be in the Netflix Top 100, currently 53, PEOPLE in general like it that much. Tell him that.

 

[Timby]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

Yeah, well, a karaoke contest has been the most popular show on television for the last six years -- popular doesn't equal good.

(I actually quite enjoyed Crystal Skull, though it was deeply flawed.)

 

[Owain Taggart]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

I would take a completely different approach. Almost a mockumentary style film. Show that Peter's ideas to franchise the business really did happen. So their world is not really ours but a slightly alternate one. I think it could be more fun that way. Showing a world that publicly acknowledges ghosts. Of course their would be the skeptics.

Embrace the time since the last film. This way there could be multiple groups of Ghostbusters, including the "Real" ones. Without some heavy-handed passing the torch to a new generation stuff. In fact it could be a brilliant way of satirizing the very notion of sequels and the franchising of these things. There would be disputes among the guys about if they lost there way since their glory days. Ray taking that side and Peter happy to just count his money.

This is the only way I could see Bill Murrary getting excited about it again. Finding a fresh source of humor. Instead of it being treated as just a horror or fantasy film. Of course Akroyd would be the source of whatever supernatural plot that would be building towards the big action climax.

There you go. I really like that idea Maybe they could also do a bit of travelling. I mean, surely NY isn't the only place in need of their services?

 

[Aragorn]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

Maybe the original four can be running their own Ghostbusters franchises (Peter spends all his time catching rays and playing golf in Miami while leaving some redhead who keeps taking off his sunglasses and making one-liners in charge, Winston heads the L.A. franchise with a Ghostbuster who tortures ghosts for information and says "damnit" a lot), when something forces them to come back together.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

I liked Crystal Skull as well.

Big confession: I loved "Crystal Skull," at least when I saw it in the theater. I was just SO excited to be seeing a new Indy movie. I saw it with my boyfriend and I turned to him afterwards and told him how awesome it was, and he looked at me like I was crazy and said that it was horrible and that the Internet would agree with him.

And that's pretty much what happened.

He means message boards and critics and that is still a minority. The movie continues to be in the Netflix Top 100, currently 53, PEOPLE in general like it that much. Tell him that.

Could be people deciding to check it out. We don't necessarily know they liked it.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

Maybe the original four can be running their own Ghostbusters franchises (Peter spends all his time catching rays and playing golf in Miami while leaving some redhead who keeps taking off his sunglasses and making one-liners in charge, Winston heads the L.A. franchise with a Ghostbuster who tortures ghosts for information and says "damnit" a lot), when something forces them to come back together.

I like that idea too. With the passage of time, there's always the possibility of other locations having sprouted up. Personally, I'd love to see the Ghostbusters in Scotland. Always interesting supernatural stuff there. Heck, it could all be something that ends up happening at the Stonehenge.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Re: Aykroyd Comments on Murray, Ghostbusters 3! Working on Script w/Ra

I like the idea of Ghostbusters, Inc. Franchising the business. Wonder if Egon and Ray would let Peter do that in the first place?