The world was extremely saddened to learn of the death of Harold Ramis earlier this week. The comedy legend is known for his work on ‘Groundhog Day’, ‘Animal House’, and ‘Caddyshack’, but generations of fans may know him best for his role as Dr. Egon Spengler in ‘Ghostbusters’. And while many may have taken the past few days to fondly look back on his beloved filmography, some could be wondering about the projects that Ramis left behind, including the long-rumored sequel to the 1980s paranormal comedic adventure also featuring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson. Recently, some sources close to the production weighed in and provided some insight into the future of the ‘Ghostbusters 3’.
After many years of will they/won’t they, it seemed like the second sequel in the ‘Ghostbusters’ franchise was finally on it’s way to theaters without Murray, who had teased his involvement in the film, but ultimately decided against it. Because he chose to move on, writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky were forced to rewrite their script to accommodate one less original member of the team. Now, it looks like they’re gearing up to do it again according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sources say that the story will still involve “a baton-passing to a trio of newcomers” and that Ramis “was always great to bounce something off of, and that will certainly be missed, but it won’t affect the script”. But before that can happen, director Ivan Reitman will meet with studio heads soon to discuss the plan of action moving forward.
“Well there can’t be another ‘Ghostbusters’ without Harold. It will be a Ghost- something, but it won’t be… That was always my fear – that something would happen before we all got together.”
Even though the studio is still pushing forward, it looks like one half of the returning Ghostbusters is clocking out at this point. And if that’s the case, then the pair of writers from ‘The Office’ might have even more rewrites in their future if this movie actually continues to move forward.
What do you think about Sony continuing with ‘Ghostbusters 3’ without Harold Ramis? With Ernie Hudson sounding like he’s not into it anymore, would you still see a ‘Ghostbusters’ sequel with only one original team member? Let’s hear what you have to say in the comments.