The newGhostbustersis dividing fans directly down the middle. Some are excited to see the franchise return, while others are horrified by the casting choices and director. What a lot of the hate boils down to is, longtime fanatics simply wanted to see the original cast return. Which became increasingly less viable once starHarold Ramispassed away andBill Murrayseemed adamant not to participate. It’s unlikely thatBill Murraywould have starred in a true sequel to the 1984Ghostbusters. But he is showing up for a few scenes in theremake. So at least fans can appreciate that. But it almost didn’t happen. Why didBill Murrayfinally agree to sign on?
Bill Murrayspoke withVultureabout his participation in Sony’s new all-female Ghostbusters remake. The movie is being directed byPaul Feig, and has been described as a complete reboot of the series, which spawned one sequel and an animated series back in the 1980s. Themain castof the new movie is made up of fourSaturday Night Livecast members, some past, some present, withKristen Wiig,Leslie Jones,Kate McKinnonandCecily Strong. But it’sMelissa McCarthywho is leading the charge. She is someoneBill Murrayrefers to as a ‘great hope’. After claiming he would not show up for Ghostbusters 3,Bill Murrayhad this to say about finally accepting acameorole.
“I thought about it for a very long time. Like, many, many months. No, that’s not right. I was seriously thinking about this for years, really … It kept eating at me, and I really respect those girls. And then I started to feel like if I didn’t do this movie, maybe somebody would write a bad review or something, thinking there was some sort of disapproval [on my part].”
Bill Murraywill not be playingVenkmanin the all-female Ghostbusters. None of those original characters exist in this universe. Instead, he will star as a man out to debunk the girls and theirghoststheories. About working with the lady Ghostbusters,Bill Murrayhad noting but praise for his co-stars.
“You know, they were incredibly nice to ask me, and I really enjoyed being there. They have such a jolly group, and they are going to have great success with this project. I didn’t want to overshadow [them] or anything, and I feel really good about it.”
Bill Murrayopenly admits that he had no intentions of returning for a trueGhostbusterssequel. But this was different. And he didn’t have to strap on the proton pack again. About his ultimate decision to return to the franchise, he stated.
“I like those girls a lot. I mean, I really do. They are tough to say no to. And Paul is a real nice fellow.”
Bill Murrayhas already finished his cameo on Ghostbusters. The actor shot his scenes in Boston earlier this month.Paul Feigand his cast will continue shooting on location in Boston and New York throughout September. The remake will also feature a cameo from other original GhostbusterDan Aykroyd, who is playing a cab driver. There has been no mention ofErnie Hudson’s participation, though he mouthed off in the press about the all-female Ghostbusters, calling it a really bad idea. He later apologized. What do you think? Are you more open to this reboot knowing that some of the original participants are involved? Or are you determined to hate it until opening day?
