海角大神

Ghostbusters 3 is inching closer and closer to becoming more than a subject that people refuse to stop asking Dan Aykroyd about (and he keeps on championing). Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder, Men in Black III) penned the latest script draft聽this past summer. Meanwhile, Sony is taking steps that could allow production to begin next year; though, Fall 2013 seems more likely, rather than a Summer start date聽(as we previously reported).

Aykroyd says that Bill Murray has lost his rights to the property, which accounts for why the other Ghostbusters franchise gatekeepers (see what I did there?) are at last gearing up to move ahead without him. Indeed, Aykroyd is now confirming that the stage could soon be set for future installments after聽GB3鈥� assuming the latter finally happens, that is.

Here is what Aykroyd told Esquire, on the rights issue:

Well, I have one-fifth of the voice, along with the partners and the other owner of the property, the picture company, and Ivan [Reitman], Billy [Murray], and myself, and Harold [Ramis]. We all have to sign off on it unanimously 鈥� uh, I鈥檓 not sure Billy does anymore, since he abrogated his rights by sort of, by saying, two years ago he said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to be involved,鈥� and 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. So, that鈥檚 for the lawyers to decide. Of course, I鈥檇 love to have Billy call me tomorrow and say, 鈥淟et鈥檚 go to work and start writing.鈥�

There have been a handful of different setups and premises for Ghostbusters 3 over the years, including the 鈥楪hostbusters in Hell鈥� concept that Aykroyd refers to as 鈥淢补苍-丑别濒濒-迟迟补苍鈥� 鈥� which might have resembled the plot for Ghostbusters: The Video Game, given what we鈥檝e heard 鈥� and a passing-the-torch storyline that Cohen has carried over from the previous draft written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky (Year One, Bad Teacher). Not surprisingly, Aykroyd has confirmed the most recent script for GB3 sets the stage for a fourth installment.

To quote Aykroyd directly:

Oh, yes, the one that Etan has written now 鈥� with Ivan strongly collaborating with him, and with me doing revisions as needed, and studio input 鈥� totally leads to a next one. It feeds into it very organically.

However, it now appears that there is, in fact, a limit to Aykroyd鈥檚 patience, when it comes to making a third Ghostbusters movie. He isn鈥檛 budging from the claim that Sony has a surefire box office success on its hands 鈥� and, to be fair, we can鈥檛 argue too much with that assertion 鈥� but聽the actor/writer/vodka connoisseur is now putting an expiration date on his commitment.

Here is what Aykroyd said:

鈥� We can鈥檛 wait forever. And now鈥檚 the time to tell the picture company, and I鈥檇 say this quite publically, it鈥檚 time now to sit down and make this movie, or you will lose your main principals, and you won鈥檛 be able to make it without us, because we have rights, and now is time to make the movie鈥� You don鈥檛 take advantage of that in the next three or four months, I鈥檒l see you in Australia, where we鈥檒l be selling Crystal Head.

Is this a genuine sign that Aykroyd is ready to either go big or go home, when it comes to Ghostbusters 3? He could easily have some under-wraps information on the project鈥檚 status, given his intimate involvement; then again, we might end up hearing the same thing from Aykroyd a year from now, so don鈥檛 start holding your breath just yet.

Sandy Schaefer blogs at Screen Rant.