Ghostbusters 3 – More Blame on Bill Murray
Steve Barton
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Well, it’s a new week and you know what that means, right? You guessed it! More Ghostbusters 3 ridiculousness! This time once again Bill Murray is being fingered as the problem child. I mean why not, right? You have to blame somebody! Round and round we continue to go.
As per Deadline Hollywood:
This is too big a project to play games. “The studio won’t even think about [moving] forward on a $150 million film unless Bill has a closed deal and a commitment,” said an insider. “It’s too huge a risk to do any meaningful prep, hoping he shows up.”
It has been 21 years since the last Ghostbusters sequel, which wasn’t as good as the 1984 original and didn’t gross as much. Despite that, Sony Pictures Entertainment has tried over and over to scare up a new ghost comedy that would entice Murray and his compatriots Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis for another encore. It has gone long past the point when a studio hurries a sequel to capitalize on the momentum of the last film and nobody was going to hurry unless a good script made it worthwhile. Sony has proven adept at figuring out problem sequels: for years, Men in Black 3 seemed unmake-able because of the battles between director Barry Sonnenfeld and producer Walter Parkes, a prohibitive amount of first dollar gross committed, and the inability to agree on a creative direction. When a good script finally materialized, Sonnenfeld and Parkes made peace and talent traded first dollar gross for cash break deals. The picture is slotted for a May 25, 2012 release.
SPE thinks it has the same opportunity on Ghosbusters III because of the script by “The Office” writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. Murray had been aloof about Ghostbusters, but Aykroyd and Ramis felt a thaw after the cast got together a couple of years ago to work on a video game. Eisenberg and Stupnitsky delivered the goods, and Aykroyd, Ramis and Reitman added their own touches before sending the script to Murray. The script brings back the original cast, who pass the torch to newcomers, which sets up future installments.
When the mercurial Murray does turn up on a film set, it’s worth the wait. He’s generating Best Supporting Actor talk for his performance in Get Low, and he was a definite highlight of Sony’s Zombieland. But nobody envies a studio having to rely on him for such a big piece of business because Murray moves to the beat of his own drum. Even trying to get an answer on Murray’s thoughts conjures up the signature Ghostbusters line, ‘Who you gonna call?’ He has been without an agent for several years and doesn’t have a publicist. He has an attorney, but a call to his office was met with the curt reply that they don’t talk to reporters. Bottom line: a yes from Murray moves Ghostbusters III right into pre-production, with shooting to begin as fast as possible. If Murray says no, the film doesn’t have a ghost of a chance. No pressure, Dr. Peter Venkman.
Sigh. Here’s a bit of advice … that fanbase who really wants this movie? They can turn on you on a dime. Especially if you keep jerking them around. Food for thought.
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