'Ghostbusters' Reboot Lands 'The Heat' Writer

There's more reason to be excited over the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot, and no it doesn't involve Bill Murray coming aboard. Paul Feig, who recently came aboard to helm what would be a female-led reboot, is making things official by bringing on his The Heat co-writer, Katie Dippold. Does this mean Murray's hope for Melissa McCarthy to be part of the film will come true?

THR adds a few more details to information we'd heard over the many years Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ivan Reitman were developing a sequel together. Basically the plan had been to have the original Ghostbusters pass the torch to a younger group. This newer version Feig is putting together will have no connection to the earlier films.

So no casting yet, and certainly nothing on Murray's other hopefuls like Emma Stone, Linda Cardellini, or Kristen Wiig, but adding Dippold certainly suggest McCarthy could be on board. We shall see.

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Paul Feig Eyes Female-Led 'Ghostbusters 3'

There have been so many starts, stops, and different ideas for Ghostbusters 3 that it's tough to take any updates seriously. Basically, everything was screwed up by Bill Murray's refusal to participate, leaving Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ivan Reitman scrambling. The plan had been for the film to be a "passing of the torch" to a new team of young Ghostbusters, but now as another director enters the picture a new take on the material has finally given reason to take it seriously.

THR reports Bridesmaids and The Heat director Paul Feig is the frontrunner to direct the film, which is now being eyed as a total reboot with a group of female Ghostbusters. Feig, who had also circled Bridget Jones' Diary 3 for a time, has been a force when it comes to female-led comedies. And given his history with Melissa McCarthy (he'll also direct her next film, Spy), one has to think she'll be high on his list of potential stars.

This still seems to be pretty early on and considering we've already seen Phil Lord & Chris Miller (21 Jump Street), Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), and others pass on it there's no guarantee Feig will accept. Sony will want to hurry if they plan on hitting the spring 2015 filming date, but this story opens up new questions that could cause delays. Does a total reboot mean Akroyd and Hudson will have nothing to do with the film? Also, what does this mean for the script by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg? Does it need to be completely reworked or begun anew?

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Sigourney Weaver Reveals Major 'Ghostbusters 3' Detail; Returns for All Three 'Avatar' Sequels

Sigourney Weaver has been an integral part of some big movies and even bigger franchises, from Alien to Ghostbusters and most recently James Cameron's Avatar. She's been chatting up all three films a lot lately, recently telling fans at the Hero Complex Festival  "I do feel like there is more story to tell" in regards to another Alien film. And while that may be something that never truly comes to pass, there are concrete plans for Weaver in regards to Ghostbusters 3 and the upcoming Avatar sequels.

First up, Weaver spoke to Vanity Fair about the 30th anniversary (!!!) of Ghostbusters, and revealed her participation in the forever-developing Ghostbusters 3 was contingent on her character's son having a major part in it, as in he needs to be sporting an Ecto-Pack....

Weaver: “I said, ‘I have one condition. I want my son Oscar to be a Ghostbuster’, and [Ivan Reitman] said, ‘We’ve already done that.’”

Her character, Dana Barrett, had a son in 1989's terrible Ghostbusters 2, in which the baby gets caught up in all the paranormal madness. Dan Akroyd and Etan Cohen are said to be working on the screenplay, but there are no concrete shooting plans at this point. While regulars like Ernie Hudson and Rick Moranis are expected back, the film still is without a director as Reitman pulled his name out of the running some months back. Most recently it was Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) rumored for the job but nothing has been confirmed. 

Just as Ripley evolved over the course of multiple Alien films, so too will Weaver's Dr. Grace Augustine in Avatar. The character notably perished in the record-breaking sci-i epic, but James Cameron has been quite vocal that this was not the end of her story. And now today he has officially announced that Weaver will return for all three sequels which will be shot back-to-back-to-back later this year.

Cameron: "Sigourney and I have a long creative history, dating back to 1985 when we made 'Aliens.' We're good friends who've always worked well together, so it just feels right that she's coming back for the 'Avatar' sequels. Her character of Grace Augustine, as fans know, died in the first movie, so she's playing a different and in many ways more challenging character in the upcoming films. We’re both looking forward to this new creative challenge, the latest chapter in our long and continuing collaboration."

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Rawson Thurber the Frontrunner for 'Ant-Man' Gig; Ruben Fleischer Eyed for 'Ghostbusters 3'

For the second Friday in a row Marvel is dominating the headlines, and again it's Ant-Man at the center of a lot of it. Earlier today we learned that Josh Brolin would be voicing Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy, and then a short list of contenders to replace Edgar Wright as director of Ant-Man emerged. On that list were Rawson Thurber, Adam McKay, and Ruben Fleischer, but now it's looking as if Thurber has the edge.

The Wrap reports Thurber as the frontrunner for the gig, sighting his willingness to "serve a studio's vision", something Wright was unwilling to do. It helps that Thurber is red hot after last year's $270M hit, We're the Millers. Those factors give him the edge over McKay and Fleischer, who perhaps have greater cred with the crowd Marvel is trying to reach. McKay would have been the big score but an imperfect fit as he is similar to Wright in wanting to tell his own stories. Besides, he's got more than enough to do already. He's producing an animated version of The Flintstones, has the financial world drama The Big Short developing, and he may direct his buddy Will Ferrell in Border Guards.

As for Fleischer, he's still in the mix but The Wrap says he has family commitments that could prevent him from jumping into the job right away, which is something Marvel clearly wants. A better fit may be Ghostbusters 3, which Fleischer is apparently being sought for but is still a long ways off from going into production.

Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Patrick Wilson, Evangeline Lily, and Michael Pena are presumably still on board for Ant-Man, which Marvel hopes to open July 17th 2015.

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Phil Lord and Chris Miller Turn Down 'Ghostbusters 3'

There isn't much reason to get excited about Ghostbusters 3, but a small glimmer of promise peeked through when reports surfaced Phil Lord and Chris Miller were being sought for the directing job. The duo had already brought new life to another '80s property in 21 Jump Street, and combined with their success on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and The Lego Movie it just seemed like a fit that could work.

Well, it may have seemed like the right fit on paper, but Lord and Miller must think otherwise, because Jeff Sneider at The Wrap says they've turned it down and other directors are being looked at...

Hearing LORD & MILLER ended up walking away from GHOSTBUSTERS 3 job. They were the studio's choice but wanted to keep their options open...
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) April 7, 2014

But, Sneider also leaves the door open for a return. The duo did initially turn down The Lego Movie before coming back to the bargaining table. With no further details we won't know the reasons they bailed. It could be as simple as wanting to move away from established properties for once and do something original. 

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Phil Lord and Chris Miller Reportedly in Talks to Direct 'Ghostbusters 3'

Here's a fun fact about directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller: All of their movies have grossed north of $200M. Those are numbers any studio can get behind, and with the duo's ability to enliven old properties such as 21 Jump Street, or add a dose of creative energy to The Lego Movie and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, it's no wonder they're the most sought-after duo in Hollywood. It also explains why Sony could be calling them to direct Ghostbusters 3.

Nikki Finke says Lord and Miller are in talks to replace Ivan Reitman on Ghostbusters 3 after he exited the project. The film has been in the works seemingly forever with an army of screenwriters trying to make it work. Every few weeks Dan Akroyd rears his head to say how good the latest draft is (he and Etan Cohen wrote the most recent one), only to have it go back to the drawing board practically the next day. The current plan is for filming to begin early next year.

Sony knows what they have in Lord and Miller, having worked with them on 21 Jump Street and the sequel, 22 Jump Street. They may be inclined to just dump the current script entirely, which is said to focus on a new team of young Ghostbusters, and let them pen a new draft. That would be the smart way to go if this is going to happen at all, but as we've seen plenty of times before, Ghostbusters 3 has a way of finding new obstacles to overcome.

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'Ghostbusters 3' Loses Ivan Reitman; Shoots Early 2015

When Harold Ramis passed away a couple of weeks ago, it seemed like a natural end to the overlong saga of Ghostbusters 3. The film has been plagued by script troubles, a lack of genuine fan support, and 100% less Bill Murray than the prior movies had.  The project didn't go away but instead was delayed so the script could be retooled, and now comes word that a new director will also need to be found.

According to Deadline, Ivan Reitman has decided to step down from directing Ghostbusters 3, but will stick around long enough to help find his replacement. Reitman worked on the most recent draft with Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder), and here's what he had to say about it and the reasons for his departure...

Reitman: "[W]e now have a draft that is very good, that the studio is very excited about... It’s a version of 'Ghostbusters' that has the originals in a very minor role. When I came back from Harold’s funeral, it was really moving and it made me think about a lot of things. I’d just finished directing Draft Day, which I’m really happy with and proud of. Working on a film that is smaller and more dramatic was so much fun and satisfying. I just finally met with Amy and Doug Belgrad when I got back. I said I’d been thinking about it for weeks, that I’d rather just produce this Ghostbusters. I told them I thought I could help but let’s find a really good director and make it with him. So that’s what we’ve agreed will happen."

He also revealed that they have a handful of directors in mind to take over, and that filming is being planned for early 2015....

Retiman: "I’m not going to say how many Ghostbusters there will be in the new cast, but we are determined to retain the spirit of the original film, and I am pleased that all of this seems to have happened organically,” he said. “I’m hoping we can get started by the fall, set in New York, but given the logistics and the stuff that happens, the beginning of 2015 seems more likely."

 

Along with a new director they'll need to find a cast to star as the next generation of Ghostbusters. Ha anybody asked if Slimer will be coming back? 

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'Ghostbusters 3' Moving Forward Despite Harold Ramis' Death

While Hollywood and fans of great comedies everywhere continue to mourn the sudden passing of Harold Ramis, there's been some movement on a major project he was involved in. That would be the long-developing Ghostbusters 3, which has been in various stages of development forever without really going anywhere. Bill Murray not wanting to have anything to do with it hasn't killed the project, and now the film will continue to move forward despite the loss of Ramis.

THR reports changes will be made to Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky's script, which is said to focus on a new team of Ghostbusters. Ramis and the original Ghostbusters were to only have small roles, anyway, but with Dan Akroyd and Ernie Hudson the only two involved one has to wonder if any should appear.

The chances of this causing the project to be reconsidered entirely are slim. Rather, the inability of Akroyd, director Ivan Reitman, and the writers to come up with a workable script will probably sink it first. Plans had been for filming to begin this year, but that's looking less likely.

And thanks to Ash Vickers over at MegaCynics for the touching Harold Ramis tribute image above. This Twinkie's for you.

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Emma Stone Turns Down 'Ghostbusters 3'; Jonah Hill Still in the Mix

Dan Akroyd and Ivan Reitman may have hopes of finally getting Ghostbusters 3 rolling in the spring of next year, but without a powerhouse cast that could be wishful thinking. A few weeks ago a rumor surfaced that Emma Stone and Jonah Hill were being courted for the film, which has had no end of problems for what seems like an eternity. Well the problems are continuing as the guys over at Schmoes Know, who have been solid on this stuff of late, have word that Stone is passing on the role of Anna...

"Emma Stone is passing on “Anna” but Jonah Hill still has an offer out for “Jeremy”.  Interesting enough, Sony wants two big stars signed on or they will not green light the picture."

Assuming all of this is true, that last bit could be the biggest hurdle in the film ever getting made. We've seen how easily Bill Murray shot down any hopes of returning to the franchise he helped make great back in the 1980s, and we haven't heard much about anyone of note really clamoring to be a part of it. If Hill were to sign on that would change things, but he's riding a wave of possible Oscar love for The Wolf of Wall Street, and already has a successful comedy sequel in 22 Jump Street.

The plot is rumored to have the old guard, led by Akroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson, leading a new young team of Ghostbusters. None of those guys can provide a strong box office debut, nor can co-stars Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis. Despite Akroyd's claims otherwise, Ghostbusters 3 has been on life support without Murray and that doesn't appear to have changed much.

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Rumor killer: No Simon Pegg in 'Star Wars'; 'Ghostbusters 3' not animated; No 'Planet Hulk' movie

A lot of rumors for some big films have  cropped up over the last few days, and all at once they seem to have been given the smack down. The biggest by far had Simon Pegg lined up to join his Star Trek Into Darkness director J.J. Abrams for a future Star Wars film. Alfonso Cuaron's name was also put out there as a potential director, but there was no credible source given as to where any of this came from. Now Pegg has taken to Twitter to cleverly shoot rumors of his involvement down...

"No idea where this silly rumour about me attached to the new 'Star Wars' film came from but I can confirm that it's absolute Bantha poodoo"

It made at least a little bit of sense, but right now there will be no Darth Sidious Pegg running around Star Wars: Episode VII.

Ghostbusters 3 has had more than its share of problems, which we all know, and for the most part I've decided to stay out of the rumor-mongering that's been going on. Without Bill Murray there's no reason to care, anyway. But the ongoing development took an interesting turn when Bloody Disgusting suggested that Sony may want to make it an animated feature. Now that I might not be so upset about, and it seems like a more natural fit than just another live-action film with older stars. There was some meat to the rumor, as well, as Sony did in fact have plans to make an animated film back in 2007, but it evolved into the 2009 console video game.

Comingsoon had a chance to speak with the studio, though, and they say there are no plans to animated Ghostbusters 3. So we're going to be stuck with Ivan Retiman, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson in whatever the story is going to entail. They'll likely be passing the torch to a younger generation of ghostbuster.

Earlier this month we were stunned by a huge story that suggested Marvel was planning to center their Phase 3 agenda around The Hulk. This would have included a version of the Planet Hulk storyline, in which he's left stranded in space by his friends, landing on a gladiatorial world where he must fight to survive. This would include a possible Hulk solo film, and a starring turn in The Avengers 3 when he returns to Earth and seeks revenge on his old colleagues. It was a remarkable story, if true, but AICN has now tapped into their sources who say none of that is remotely true....

"According to my source, this just isn't happening - not as long as Marvel's got Mark Ruffalo committed to a six-picture deal as Bruce Banner. And that's the primary issue with PLANET HULK: Banner isn't in it at all (unless you count the WHAT IF... story where Banner is immediately killed upon reaching Sakaar).

To make sure, I went to a another source for confirmation, and they backed up every detail. PLANET HULK isn't happening."

It makes sense they'd want to put an emphasis on Banner with an actor like Ruffalo on board, so the logic seems sound. I still think at some point we may see elements of Planet Hulk/World War Hulk play out in different ways, though. 

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Believe it or not? 'Ghostbusters 3' set for summer shoot

At this point you know my feelings on Ghostbusters 3. The first one's great, the second less so, the third one is unnecessary and nobody would care about it. But more than that, from all the fits and starts and rewrites and rumors and Bill Murray stringing people along, it's just had the stink of failure all over it. I don't think we'll ever see the film happen, and this latest blurb of info doesn't change my mind a bit.

Buried in a Deadline story where they reveal that Kevin Costner and Ivan Reitman's football drama Draft Day has been put into turnaround(basically means it's shelved unless someone else wants it), they also drop this little nugget...

Paramount chose not to make it in the small window that Reitman has before he is expected to finally get the long-gestating Ghostbusters reboot in front of the cameras next summer for Sony Pictures (sans Bill Murray).

So assuming this thing does happen, we know that Etan Cohen was the latest writer brought on to try and salvage it, and we expect the story will involve a new set of ghostbusters to replace the old guard. The 30th anniversary of Ghostbusters would be in 2014, which makes it a likely target date.

Anyway, we'll see if Ghostbusters 3 happens. I'm not convinced, and won't be until we see something more official.

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Bill Murray won't be in that 'Ghostbusters 3' movie you don't want

Hey, Bill Murray's been making his stance on this whole Ghostbusters 3 thing as clear as day for months. At every turn he's thumbed his nose at Dan Akroyd's hopes of revitalizing the long gone franchise, which hit its peak with the first classic film in 1984, followed up five years later by a sequel which Murray(and most other people) hated. So while he's been cool enough to dress up in his old Ghostbusters garb every now and then, Murray never had any intention of coming back for more, and now it's been made official.

Sick of being asked about Murray's participation, Akroyd finally just came out and said what we all knew was up...

"No, I can tell you he won't be involved. It's sad but we're passing it on to a new generation. 'Ghostbusters 3' can be a successful movie without Bill. My preference would be to have him involved but at this point he doesn't seem to be coming and we have to move on. It's time to make the third one."

Well, I would argue that there's never a good time for Ghostbusters 3, much less if the plan is to "pass the torch". Akroyd went on to say that he hopes to enter production in the next year, and with the recently hired Etan Cohen to pen a new draft, that may be a possibility. Akroyd's heart is in the right place. I think he truly wants to make this movie not just for himself but because he thinks it's a good idea, but the Ghostbusters audience is older and different than it was thirty years ago. Akroyd and Harold Ramis are no longer draws, so they'll need to stack the deck with bigger stars to gain any interest.

Basically, I'm just glad we can move on past this "will he or won't he" stuff, and if the movie has to be made let's start seeing the other pieces put into place. [Metro]

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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Dan Akroyd says it's a "surety" that Bill Murray won't do 'Ghostbusters 3'

Of all the stories that have aggravated me the most over the last two years it's been the ongoing ping pong match between Bill Murray and those championing Ghostbusters 3. Frustrating mainly because it's been obvious forever that Murray has zero interest in rejoining Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, and all his old mates, but people keep looking for any chink in his armor. He turns up at an event in a Ghostbusters outfit, and of course that means he's involved. If he says anything other than an outright refusal, it's "leaving the door open". Nonsense. Those same folks willingly ignore his every other indication he'd never reprise his Peter Venkman role, like openly calling the scripts crap and tossing it in the shredder. Or how about when he said he'd only do it if Venkman was killed in the opening minutes? The proof has been there all along, yet diehard fans refused to see it.

Now we can finally put a nail in the coffin of all this silliness. While talking to the Telegraph, Akroyd opened up about his real thoughts on the project and the likelihood of it happening, with our without Murray.

Akroyd:"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."

To me that sounds a little bitter, and completely ignoring the fact that Murray still makes the movies he really wants to, like his upcoming role as Franklin Rooselvelt in Hyde Park on Hudson, or in Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom. Clearly, he did not want to do Ghostbusters 3.  

 So what could a possible Ghostbusters film look like without Murray? It's long been speculated that the film would be a passing of the torch, so to speak, with a younger team coming aboard to help out the older guys. There was even a rumor that the Peter Venkman character might return as a ghost or something ridiculous like that. Or maybe just flat out replace Murray with somebody else. Would that even be a consideration?

Akroyd:  "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."

 Whether the studio has "interest" or not doesn't matter. Ghostbusters 3 is dead in the water without Murray. Ivan Reitman isn't a big name director anymore, and nobody under the age of 30 even knows what all the fuss is about. Murray deserves credit for sticking to his guns on this one.

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Proof that Ghostbusters 3 is really happening?

I made a promise months ago not to post anymore rumors or random statements by former cast members about Ghostbusters 3. The whole thing had turned into a friggin' game of "telephone", with one person saying this or that and it either getting twisted or blown wildly out of proportion. Bill Murray, widely assumed to be the cause of any hold up on the film has been having a good ol' time stringing folks along, when if you really listen to what he's saying he doesn't sound at all interested.

But I'm going to post this because it seems legit and could actually mean something if it's real. The below pic was snapped at the Licensing International Expo, which looks like a promo ad for Sony's 2013 slate. Check out the copy in the middle clearly indicating Ghostbusters' relaunch. Can it be true?




Certainly looks real, doesn't it? Only time will tell if it is. Thanks to Heyuguys for the pic.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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Akroyd confirms Ghostbusters 3 already casting

There've been so many rumors and false starts and whatever in regards to Ghostbusters 3 that I just stopped hearing anything about it. Don't get me wrong, the rumors never ceased and even on occasion I've written about 'em but I don't take any of it seriously. But even now I have to admit that it looks like it may be time for me to take the earplugs out and start listening again, especially when the words are coming straight from Dan Akroyd's mouth.


The actor was on WGN radio recently and was surprisingly open about the production, confirming that a lot of the casting rumors we've already heard about indeed true. He's confirmed that the casting process is underway and while they're open to some "fresh faces", he also states that Bill Hader(Adventureland) and Anna Faris(The House Bunny) are "strong possibilities". He also mentioned Eliza Dushku's name as a possibility. The biggest news to me is that he confirmed that both Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver will be back as well. Yay.

The last we'd heard, Columbia Pictures was shooting for a May 2011 start date. That means you can expect the casting news to start picking up some serious steam from here on out.

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Ghostbusters 3 or Police Academy 8?

I am extremely excited for the upcoming Ghostbusters video game, it's visually stunning and really seems to capture the theme and feel of the original movies. I wish the same could be said for the new movie that's in development. We have heard everything from Ghostbusters in space to the Judd Apatow crew taking the reigns and honestly we have yet to hear one promising bit of information save for the fact that the original crew is set to return. Well it looks like that Jr. Ghostbuster's club rumor may be true according to Ray Stantz himself, Dan Akroyd, who was quoted by /Film saying the following:

“There will be a whole new generation that has to be trained, and that whole new generation will be led by an individual who you’ll all love when you meet him but I’m not going to tell you anything yet,” teased Aykroyd. “They’ll be lots of cadets, boys and girls, who’ll be learning how to use the psychotron, the accelerators and all the new stuff, the neuron splitter, which is going to be the interplaner, interceptor and all these great tools that they’re going to have, to flip from dimension to dimension.”

I may be misreading this, but I got in my head a visual of Ghostbusters meets Police Academy, if that's the case I'd rather they not make the film. Honestly at this point I don't think they should make the film at all and only further the story through other mediums like the video game. I mean honestly have you seen Harold Ramis, Bill Murray and Dan Akroyd latley? Not that they were ever Alpha male type action stars, hell that was part of the joke, but they have really hit the wall at this point and would probably just look pathetic in the jumpsuits. Ernie Hudson's probably the only one that would remain convincing. I'll end this post by saying I love the Ghostbusters, even Ghostbusters II, and I'll pray that I'm wrong about this third installment. Until then here's hoping that the franchise isn't ruined for some late career paychecks.

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