Dan Aykroyd has long been talking up the prospects of making Ghostbusters 3 , but in a recent interview with Esquire he dropped some interesting nuggets about Bill Murray’s non-involvement, before challenging Sony to make the film before it’s too late.
“I’ve worked on every draft in the last three years, as Ivan has,” says Aykroyd, “and now we have a story and a draft that everybody seems to agree would make the third movie. At this point, I think we’re closer than we ever have been.”
And while it had previously been thought that Bill Murray would have to sign on in order for the thing to be made at all, Aykroyd reveals that some contractual small print might mean that’s no longer the case.
“I’m not sure Billy [ has to sign on ] anymore, since he abrogated his rights by sort of saying, two years ago, “I don’t want to be involved.” The picture company I think had some clause in there that if he actually passed on the third of fourth offer, he no longer has a view of the franchise.
“We have to move on, but we’ll always leave a hole for him. He’s always there. He can always come back at any time and be rebuilt into it, as far as I’m concerned. That’s up to his lawyer and the picture company to work out, but creatively, he will always be a part of it.”
And as for the picture company, Aykroyd is unequivocal in how he wants them to move things forward.
“I’ll be moving on to other things, as will Ivan,” says Aykroyd. “We can’t wait forever. And now’s the time to tell the picture company, and I’d say this quite publically, it’s time now to sit down and make this movie, or you will lose your main principals, and you won’t be able to make it without us, because we have rights, and now is time to make the movie.”
