Lots of rumors have been flooding the internet. We finally have gotten some real quotes from Dan Aykroyd via The Telegraph regarding the status of Ghostbusters 3:
At this point it’s in suspended animation. 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. We have a deep personal relationship that transcends business and he doesn’t want to know.
Bill Murray’s involvement was also brought up. Will he come back? Will the movie have a CGI version of Venkman as a ghost? Let’s see what Dan said:
We’re not going to do a movie that exploits the franchise. The script has to be perfect. I’m the cheerleader, but I’m only one voice in the matter. It’s a surety that Bill Murray will not do the movie, however there is still interest from the studio.
Well there you have it. The studio is still pushing for a third movie, but the original cast is already falling from the roster. Can they make a movie without Peter Venkman? I think so. And I imagine the studio feels that way. While this is bummer news, it’s probably about time it happened. Now Dan and Harold can move on with a script that doesn’t involve Bill Murray.