Is this the moment fans have been waiting for? After decades of resisting the idea of another Ghostbusters movie, Bill Murray has given in. At least, we hope he's actually every bit as excited as the rest of us about Paul Feig's all-female reboot of the franchise. Either way, Murray is IN, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The elusive star of the original 1984 movie told David Letterman last October, "The studio's always wanted to make another one because they can't come up with any other ideas, really... But it's hard to get an idea that's good enough." He then admitted that he really liked the idea of a female-led version.
According to Ivan Reitman, who was set to direct Ghostbusters III before the death of original cowriter and costar Harold Ramis in 2014, Murray's reluctance came from not wanting to carry a big movie like this again. Reitman told Entertainment Weekly that the actor had told him, "Look, I’m not interested in doing these movies anymore. I like doing these small parts. I don’t want to feel the weight and the burden of all that."
Because the new movie is not a sequel, THR speculates that Murray won't be playing Dr. Peter Venkman, the deadpan parapsychology PhD who romanced his client Dana (Sigourney Weaver), even as she was possessed by the demon Zuul. Castmate Dan Aykroyd is also making a return appearance, and it was recently confirmed he shot a scene with Kristen Wiig. Still no word on whether Feig has a part in all this for the third surviving member of the crew, Ernie Hudson.
Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon are the other ladies suiting up in those iconic jumpsuits, and we're crossing our fingers they can live up to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man sized expectations when the movie opens next July.