After decades of resisting the idea of another "Ghostbusters" movie, the original cast of the 1984 movie, who played the character of Dr. Peter Venkman, finally gave in. Bill Murray was photographed arriving in Boston, Mass., on Thursday and was reportedly spotted on the "Ghostbuster" set on Friday, according to NZ Herald.
Murray had a change of heart and will indeed appear in the upcoming franchise of the said movie, directed by Paul Feig, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed.
Last year, as part of Entertainment Weekly's annual reunion issue, they invited the original cast and crew of the iconic 1984 film's legacy for a cover shoot. Among those who attended were Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts and director Ivan Reitman. Everyone talked about their memories of the said film with host Al Roker of "Today."
The group was asked individually for a brief comment on the potential remake of "Ghostbusters." Murray was quoted saying, "It's really hard to recreate something that was so beautiful, so wonderful."
According to Refinery29, Murray 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 also shared his enthusiasm with the idea of a female-led version and even admitted that he likes it.
Reitman, who helmed the first two "Ghostbusters" movie, in another Entertainment Weekly report, corrected the rumors speculating that Murray didn't like the script that is why he was reluctant with the remake. Instead, Reitman stressed that the quirky comedian is no longer interested in leading-man roles.
Reitman recalled the lengthy dinner he shared with Murray at the Toronto Film Festival several years ago. He said their dinner started at about 10:30 pm and ended at 4:00 a.m. Murray read about 15 to 20 pages of the script, but all he heard from Murray was, "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." Reitman understood Murray.
Since the movie is not a sequel, more likely, Murray will not be playing the character he has portrayed years ago. According to Entertainment Weekly, Bill is the second original "Ghostbusters" cast member to make a cameo appearance in the upcoming franchise. Last month, Aykroyd shot a scene with Kristen Wiig.
"Ghostbusters 3" stars Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Michael K. Williams and Neil Casey. It is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 15, 2016.
