The involvement of Bill Murray in a Ghostbusters II sequel has been in question for almost thirty years. Over that time, there’ve been various attempts to revive the franchise, with Murray repeatedly saying that he just wasn’t interested in returning to the role of Peter Venkman. But now, we have word that he’s definitely going to appear in next year’s Ghostbusters 3.
This isn’t the most surprising news in the world, as Murray was spotted in the vicinity of the film’s shoot in September, but it’s certainly great to hear. If you’ll recall, though, a fan spotted him enjoying dinner with Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver in a Calgary hotel (oh, what I’d have given to eavesdrop on that meal), and while that’s certainly a big hint that he was going to be in the movie, there was always an outside chance that Murray was just catching up with old friends. But now, our sources – the same ones who told us the leads in the film would be young teens, which turned out to be true – are saying that he’s definitely in the threequel.
This is a big coup for the project, too. Back when Aykroyd was trying to pitch his script for a Ghostbusters II sequel, Murray famously opined: “No one wants to pay money to see fat, old men chasing ghosts.” His unwillingness to return was such a thorn in the side of Sony Pictures’ plans that they even considered suing him for not wanting to appear in Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters (in the end, he made a brief, bizarre cameo as an unrelated character).
Now, though, it seems that he’s been won over, possibly because the focus is going to shift to a younger cast and due to the quality of the script. It seems that everyone who’s read it has positive things to say, so if it really is that good then it’d have made it easier to convince him to strap on that proton pack one more time. Personally, I can’t wait to see Weaver, Murray, Ackroyd and Ernie Hudson (plus the Ecto-1!) returning to the roles that made them icons so long ago, and I’m sure that many fans feel the same.
Ghostbusters 3 hits cinemas on July 10th, 2020 and shooting has now concluded. Let’s hope we get a trailer sometime around the Christmas period.