“Ray, pretend for a moment that I don’t know anything about metallurgy, engineering, or physics, and just tell me what the hell is going on.” – Dr. Peter Venkman
While the Indy’s, Die Hard’s and Pirates of The Caribbean’s of this world seem happy to exceed the idea of a holy filmic trinity, often against audiences better wishes, there is one threequel that people are truly calling out for: Ghostbusters 3.
It is a well known fact that ‘bustin makes one feel good’, but with the original cast keeping schtum for the time being there has been little for fans, or indeed journalists, to go on. That was the case, at least, until last week, when Sigourney Weaver let a few details slip. Since then blogs and forums have gone wild with speculation and conjecture which, though fun, more often than not gets us nowhere. So let’s have a look at the facts shall we…
1989’s Ghostbusters 2 was a box office smash and featured some great, (and as a child) scary, moments. It would, however, be fair to say it didn’t contain half as much wit or panache as its 1984 predecessor. The original Ghostbusters was like nothing ever seen before and, surprisingly for its subject matter, wasn’t just a predictable cult hit (a deadpan Bill Murray chasing ghosts!) but a critical and commercial one as well. With many feeling that the promise of the first had not been continued by an equally impressive sequel, many hoped a third film would deliver, and in doing so round the series up nicely. Alas, nearly twenty-one years later we’re still waiting. This is not to say that Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis had abandoned the fans, or all hope; Aykroyd had been sitting on the idea of the Ghostbusters ‘in hell’ during the entirety of the 1990’s and had even considered executing the idea as an animated film earlier this decade.
This news was followed by rumours of script re-writes, financial worries with the outlandish concept, and Murray’s reluctance to re-join his old buddies for one last round of ghost-bustin’. On top of this was the apparent desire for Ben Stiller to be part of the crew; things were as clear as mud. Finally, last September, some concrete action occurred, with Columbia Pictures (who had previously released the other two) signing Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky to script a third installment. Best known for penning that rarest of scriptures (a decent adaptation of a British comedy in the form of The Office U.S), Eisenberg and Stupnitsky set to work. Before long more tantalizing facts were leaked, including the news that along with Ramis and Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson (Winston) was confirmed to return along with Murray and Weaver, on the condition that the script was up to scratch, that is.
Given the time passed, and from various quotes given by Arkroyd and co. in interviews over the last five years, it seems pretty clear that the new feature will focus on Ghostbusters old and new – with the appearance and training of a team of (or singular) ‘cadet’. With the original cast pushing, if not in, their sixties, the torch will no doubt have to be passed in some way or another, a fact that is reinforced with players acting as a ‘new’ recruit in this years successful videogame adaptation of the series; the closest thing to a sequel the world has been given so far. Which brings our PKE Meter dials back to Weaver who, at the recent Avatar premiere, revealed that her on screen son Oscar may in fact be that prophesied new buster.
While this may be described as a ‘biggie spoiler’, she also went on to state that one Dr. Venkman could be returning to our screens, ironically as a ghost himself, and in addition that she would be happy to reprise Dana Barrett for a small role. Three weighty spoilers in one interview may be bad news for some, but for fans any news of progression is welcome news indeed. With early hopes of a late 2009 shoot now dashed, and rumours around facts still rife, it’s good to hear that with Ramis’s Year One flopping this summer, the project is being described as ‘closer to a reality’ than ever before, with Sony very eager to get the project started. Now giving a tentative release date of early 2012 let’s just hope they get the cameras rolling while those Proton Packs still have enough left in them to pick up the particles.
