Movies
Dan Aykroyd Shreds ‘Ghostbusters 3’ Rumors
Here we go again.
Empire recently hosted a webchat with Dan Aykroyd who once again talked about Ghostbusters 3, and the rumored drama circling the long-gestured Columbia Pictures project.
The site reports that Aykroyd hinted that Bill Murray may not return as Peter Venkman, and that the character could be played by a different actor, a la Jack Ryan. As for the internet rumor that Murray recently shredded a Ghostbusters 3 script and sent it back with a note that said, “No-one wants to pay money to see fat, old men chasing ghosts”, Aykroyd denied it with vigour. “Bill Murray is not capable of such behavior. This is simply something that would not be in his nature. We have a deep, private personal relationship that transcends business. We communicate frequently and his position on the involvement in Ghostbusters 3 has been made clear and I respect that. But Bill has too much positive estimation of my writing skills to shred the work.”
As for the delay, he explains, “The script must be perfect. We cannot release a film that is any less than that. We have more work to do.”
Confirming earlier reports, Aykroyd also drops this juicy nugget about a returning character – the reclusive Rick Moranis as Louis Tully: “ If we can get the script to Ghostbusters 3 right, then it would definitely have Moranis as a major component. None of us would want to do the movie without having him as a participant.”
If the film ever gets off the ground it will follow a ragtag group of paranormal researchers who reopen their notorious ghost removal service, and a new generation of Ghostbusters is brought on board to be green slimed and trained to contain the mischievous spirits. We previously reported that the new ‘Busters will be lead by Dana and Peter’s lovechild, Oscar.
Last year, 20th Century Studios emerged victorious in a heated bid for the python survival thriller Crush. Today brings new developments on the project, as Deadline reports that it’s found its director in Julius Avery (The Pope’s Exorcist, Overlord).
The survival thriller is said to follow “a woman hiking alone in the Everglades who wakes to find herself trapped in the crushing coils of a massive python, fighting to stay alive as every breath brings her closer to death.” It’s said to be inspired by true events and told primarily in real time.
It was the snake-themed spec, penned by current Temple Hill executive John Fischer, that inspired a massive bidding war. He posted the script on the Black List under the pseudonym J.W. Archer, which led to quick outreach from reps eager to sign him.
Fischer took it to his Temple Hill bosses. “Needless to say, it was quite a surprise when John walked into our office and told us he had written a script on the weekends in Spain while working on one of our movies,“ Bowen and Godfrey said in a statement previously. “We went from being terrified about how to come up with nice things to say when he asked us to read it to elated that it was a thrill ride of a movie that we wanted to produce. We can’t wait to abuse him with pages and pages of notes as we move this into production.”
Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey will produce for Temple Hill, with Scott Glassgold’s 12:01 Films also attached to produce. Glassgold is on a hot streak in horror; he’s currently attached to produce Siren Head and Cartoon Cat to Warner Bros. and Sony, respectively, and Drew Hancock’s Seasons for Amazon MGM Studios.
Avery was previously set to helm alien abduction horror movie They Found Us for Temple Hill.