A CGI Ghostbusters 3?Source: CISN Country
February 2, 2007
Dan Aykroyd visited radio station CISN Country and revealed that a Ghostbusters III is in the works.
Aykroyd said that the film will be CGI and Bill Murray has agreed to do the voice of Dr. Peter Venkman. No word on whether Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson or any other of the original actors will return to voice their characters.
Click Part 2 of the interview here:
www.cisnfm.com/station/blog_mike_mcguire.cfm?bid=7500Then the Edmonton Sun reported this information on the same day, but this is not getting the same attention as the CISN interview...
He will, however, be revisiting the role of Dr. Raymond Stantz for a Ghostbusters video game.
"Universal purchased the rights from Sony for a game. I'm actually going to have to perform and do some motion capture for them. That will be next year."Go here to read the full article:
www.edmontonsun.com/Entertainment/Weekend/2007/02/02/3506287-sun.htmlI think that people have their facts crossed, and that Aykroyd wasn't being completely honest in his CISN interview. Anyone who's been following this new Ghostbusters Video Game in development over the past several weeks (an off-again/on-again/off-again project), and based on the conceptual artwork/footage released on the internet, I have a feeling that Aykroyd's GB3: Hellbent script may be actually become the video game, and not a CGI/third film at all.
GHOSTBUSTERS 3: HELLBENTScript Review
WARNING, CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!IGN FilmForce Exclusive: The Stax Report: Script Review of Ghostbusters 3: Hellbent!
by Stax
July 30, 2002 - Stax here with my reaction to the screenplay for Ghostbusters 3: Hellbent! This 122-page first draft dated March 10, 1999 is by actor Dan Aykroyd, based on a story by Aykroyd and co-star Harold Ramis. Sadly, this highly anticipated sequel appears quite dead now. The many reasons why this Columbia Pictures-based project likely won't get off the ground are cited below.
Dan Aykroyd last addressed Ghostbusters 3 back in November 1999, several months after this draft is dated. The original Ghostbuster advised Access Hollywood that GB3 "doesn't look like it's going to happen for the same reason they aren't going to make Men in Black 2." (And we all know what happened with that project now, don't we?) "The cost is too excessive for the studio to see it to be economically feasible," said Akyroyd. "It is a shame too because everyone wants to do it. Even Bill Murray said he would work a few days on it. I did finish a script. Harold Ramis liked parts of it. [Series director] Ivan Reitman liked parts of it too. There is definitely an interest from all of the original parties involved to make it. However, the studio just does not want to take the risk. In my opinion, the successes of the other two give the impression that there is a good chance of profit for a third sequel. So unfortunately, it looks like its just not going to happen based on the studio's feelings, not from anyone else."
Harold Ramis told Entertainment Weekly back in February 1999 that the "dream plan is that Danny and I would produce it, I would direct it, and we would recruit some newer, younger, popular Ghostbusters to star." Cinescape Online reported in 1998 that the "film is rumored to follow Raymond Stantz (Aykroyd) and Egon Spengler (Ramis) as they cope with Peter Venkman's (Bill Murray) departure with Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), plus their attempt to stay employed while fighting a new otherworldly entity, possibly Hades, the Greek god of the underworld."
Having now read this March 1999 draft, I can confirm that the sequel does adhere to that general plot line (at least in this draft). Without revealing too many spoilers, Ghostbusters 3: Hellbent suggests that hell (portrayed as a stygian mirror image of The Big Apple dubbed “Manhellton”) has grown overcrowded and congested. As a result, hell is literally evicting people back into the world of the living in order to alleviate their congestion problem.
Obviously, this isn’t good for our world so the Ghostbusters must use their latest technology to literally go to hell and ask the devil why he’s doing this and to see what they can do to make him stop. Naturally, the devil – portrayed here as a Donald Trump-like mogul named Siffler – has a secret agenda that leads to a grand conflict with our titular heroes. The Ghostbusters must once again save New York City from the evil forces of the afterlife.
There is indeed a younger crop of Ghostbusters (or, as the script abbreviates it, GBs) introduced that perform much of the otherworldly legwork here. This new crew includes: Franky, a body-pierced, tough New Jersey punker; Lovell, a dread-locked dude; Moira, a pretty but uptight gymnast and science grad; and Carla, a Latino beauty. There’s also Nat, a prepubescent genius whose powerful brain has made his head abnormally large. Despite his youth, Nat serves as a supervisor for the new GBs. That’s all we ever get to know about these characters (we don’t even learn their last names!) and they’re our guides throughout most of the story.
I’m not exactly asking for brilliantly delineated characterizations here but even the original team had their own distinct personalities, voices, and senses of humor. These young bucks are practically interchangeable. They all behave and sound alike, and get along relatively well. There’s no real conflict between them nor is there a dominant personality as there was amongst the original GBs. These would be the script’s worst mistakes if it weren’t for the revelation that these young turks aren’t especially funny or charming, either.
That’s what shocked and disappointed me the most about this draft of Ghostbusters 3: it was more jargon than jokes. Bill Murray/Peter Venkman doesn’t appear until the end and then it’s only a cameo (he’s portrayed in a way you’ve never seen before, which was the script’s most memorable gag). There’s also no sign of Sigourney Weaver‘s character Dana nor is there any mention of her kid Oscar (remember him?), who you’d think might be included among these new, younger GBs given his importance in the last film.
Ray (Aykroyd), Egon (Ramis), and Winston (Ernie Hudson, now referred to as “Dr. Zeddemore”) have prominent supporting roles here. (Louis Tully and Janine have cameos.) The action is driven forward by the younger GBs. Whenever the original GBs are in a scene, my interest – and the story itself – picked up. I’ve never been a huge fan of TV series or films featuring “the next generation” of characters, with Star Trek being an arguable exception (although I still prefer the classic Trek).
You fall in love with some characters for very specific reasons and sometimes it’s just impossible to see new actors take over those series/franchises. I think Ghostbusters might be such a case but if these new GBs had more personality, if they were developed further, perhaps I’d have accepted the transition. I just never cared about these new Ghostbusters, though.
The plot line about hell being overcrowded and needing to evict people was relatively amusing but isn’t the whole “New York is Hell” sentiment rather tired now? And I don’t even want to get into the post-9/11 issues that any film about New York City being endangered will likely face now. (Of course, I compartmentalized those issues given that this script predates the tragedies.) Rather than it being the wrong time for GB3 perhaps now might actually be the perfect time for it. After all, the Ghostbusters films offer pure escapism, politically correct villains, and a wish fulfillment/fantasy about being able to save The Big Apple from (excuse the phrase) phantom menaces. I just can't say that I liked the GB3 yarn that this draft offered.
As a huge fan of the original film, I’d much rather see a GB3 where the old gang must strap their backpacks on for one last mission (even without Murray, though he’d be sorely missed) rather than see pretenders to the throne get the bulk of screen time. That’s just me, though. Obviously, the series’ creators see the sequel differently so I must respect their ideas. I just wasn't as entertained by this draft as I wanted to be (and I really wanted to love this script). Given that there has been no development on this project for almost three years, however, my reservations about Ghostbusters 3 appear to be moot. – STAX
