It's hard to fathom but at one point comedy legend John Belushi was supposed to play the role of Dr. Peter Venkman in GHOSTBUSTERS. However, due to the comedian's tragic death, the role eventually went to Bill Murray and the rest was history. Honestly I can't picture anyone else playing the role of the sarcastic paranormal investigator and eliminator. While the Oscar nominated actor played the role in the 1984 film and its sequel in 1989, in the decades since he's long resisted a return to the Venkman character. (Although he did make a cameo in the 2016 reboot, albeit as a different character.)
In the wake of the 2016 failed reboot, Jason Reitman developed and filmed a direct sequel to GHOSTBUSTERS II – GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE – last summer. While several original cast members such as Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson, and Dan Aykroyd were confirmed to return, there were doubts about Bill Murray's involvement. However, those doubts can now be put paid to rest as Vanity Fair reports that Murray will definitely return in one of the roles that helped make him famous.
While on a set visit last year, the publication conducted several exclusive interviews with the sixty-nine year old actor. Murray commented not only on the excellent script but also the absence of Harold Ramis who passed away in 2014:
"The script is good. It’s got lots of emotion in it. It’s got lots of family in it, with through lines that are really interesting. It’s gonna work. Well, we are a man down. That’s the deal. And that’s the story that we’re telling, that’s the story they’ve written."
As a huge GHOSTBUSTERS fan (it's the first movie I actually remember seeing) I am ecstatic that Bill Murray is coming back to play Peter Venkman. Would it even be a GHOSTBUSTERS film without him?? The only person I'm disappointed won't return is Rick Moranis who played Louis Tully in the first two films. Unfortunately, Moranis retired from acting almost two decades ago. Although many of the original cast members will return, their roles are said to be "meaningful" rather than significant. Instead Finn Wolfhard, McKenna Grace, Carrie Coon, and Paul Rudd will take center stage.
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE's synopsis is as follows: After being evicted from their home, two children and their single mother move to a farm in Summerville, Oklahoma inherited from their late grandfather. When the town experiences a series of unexplained earthquakes, the children discover their family's link to the original Ghostbusters, who have become something of a myth as many have long-since forgotten the events of the "Manhattan Crossrip of 1984" and the secret legacy that their grandfather left behind.
So what do you guys think of this news? Are you excited for Bill Murray's return? Will you be checking out GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE or do you think the franchise is deader than Slimer? Let us know in the comments below!