Max Landis is a divisive character in Hollywood. Those in the industry either love him or hate his guts, a sentiment shared by the Internet. But, Landis is also not shy about his opinions or his projects. Last year, we shared his batshit crazy screenplay for a Super Mario Bros movie and now the screenwriter is back with another movie plot/fan fiction.
In the wake of the GHOSTBUSTERS reboot(s), Landis has shared his treatment for a GHOSTBUSTERS III that would properly close the original pair of films with a fitting trilogy capper. He offered this intro to the pretty lengthy synopsis.
Seeing as it appears the new Ghostbusters franchise will be moving away from the previous films, and be a complete reboot, I thought it would be fun to release an idea I’d been kicking around for a third movie, turning the first two into a trilogy. Following my own beliefs about trilogies, it is a completion of the cycle and themes started in the first film, updated for modern film standards. As such, it features a heightening of the first film’s threat, as well as multiple action sequences, and deeper emotional through-lines for the characters.
You can head to his website to read the full treatment but it flashes back to 1920s while primarily taking place in 2016. It pulls together the original cast, something we unfortunately cannot have since the passing of Harold Ramis, but is a pretty faithful take on where GHOSTBUSTERS III could have gone.
It also incorporates a West Coast team of Ghostbusters in L.A. which could have been the new generation we had heard rumors of for a long time. Theoretically, this could work for the non-female GHOSTBUSTERS that is in development, but there are also a lot of negatives in this idea, namely the overly complex setup that would take way more than a single film to tell. But, more GHOSTBUSTERS is good, right?
Check out the treatment and let us know your take below.