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The Ghost of Ghostbusters 3

The Ghost of Ghostbusters 3

“Who ya’ gonna’ call?” Not the original Ghostbusters that’s for sure.

There are few things that speak to pop culture nostalgia of the late ‘80s-early ‘90s more than the Ghostbusters franchise. The original was nothing like movie-goers had seen in the past, as it combined a spooky sci-fi feel with a quirky script, resulting in a perfect storm of awesomeness that still resonates in our hearts and minds to this day. Even the sequel (which was panned by many as inferior) still garnered huge success. I’ll never forget the Hardee’s kid’s meal toys featuring the Echo-1 that summer, as this is still my personal favorite of the two.

But alas, today I’m officially putting the hope of ever returning to my favorite childhood series to bed for good.

Like many of you, Ghostbusters 3 is something I’ve looked forward to for the better part of 15 years. I can’t’ remember when another project has been so in-demand by the general public, yet somehow stayed locked in a developmental purgatory so deep, it could never manage to break free. I mean come on! They’ve made like 50 Saw and “ Scary Movie ” flicks! You’re telling me there isn’t room for Busters 3 on the marquee somewhere? It’s not as if they’re running a deficiency of plot ideas either. Dan Aykroyd has stated on multiple occasions he’d not only love to make another, but has written up several drafts. Granted, they might not strike the same comedic gold we’ve seen previously, but it’s something. If you’re truly in search of the two biggest nails in its coffin, look no further than both Bill Murray and Harold Ramis.

Unfortunately, Murray has always shit on the idea for years, essentially holding hostage the ambitions of his fellow actors, the director and fans for the better part of two decades (so he could instead make such classics as The Man Who Knew Too Little and Charlie’s Angels …gag). In a recent interview, he gave a bit of insight into why he’s turned a blind-eye to returning to arguably his biggest role ever, blaming it on the lack of a decent script. “…I read one that Danny wrote that was crazy bizarre and too crazy to comprehend. It was kind of funny, but not well executed.” states the actor.

The second major road block came in the form Harold Ramis’ untimely death. This tragic event was yet another tipping point toward the end of an era, as immediately following, director Ivan Reitman bowed out of the director’s seat. In what ultimately became the straw that broke the proton pack, the studio then green-lit a reworked Ghostbusters re-launch soon after (reported to star an all-female cast this time). Now the stage is set to finally circumvent Murray and the baggage that comes along with the original cast, in Sony’s attempt to squeeze the last few bucks from the Ghostbusters license while they still can. Frankly, I have no idea what the reboot will be about, who the cast is (although rumors point to Mellissa McCarthy), or if the new direction is a good or bad thing. What I do know is…it’s not what we truly wanted. Fans would have preferred a true continuation of the original story over this churned-out piece of tripe any day (even though they claim they’re not throwing out the original continuity). No matter how you slice it, the legacy of the Ghostbusters will never be the same without the original guys doin’ there thing. Period. End of story.

The Ghost of Ghostbusters 3

If you want to enjoy a real sequel, pick up the 2009 game for the Xbox, PlayStation, PC and a variety of other systems. It’s literally as close as we’ll ever get to Ghostbusters 3 . It features the voice talents of most the original cast, is set during 1991, and totally captures the feel of that time period. Either that or try and dig up a first draft of an Aykroyd script, which have been seen floating around some far corners of the internet. In the meantime, I guess this is my official goodbye to an old friend. It’s weird feeling like I’m losing something, when in essence, I never really had it in the first place.

Rest in peace Ghostbusters 3 . We hardly knew you.

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