Ghostbusters is a comedy
film franchise created in
1984. The two films center
around a group of eccentric
New York City parapsychologists
who investigate and capture
ghosts for a living. The first
film was simply titled Ghostbusters,
and was released on June 8,
1984 by Columbia Pictures.
The film became a pop culture
phenomenon, leading to a sequel,
three animated television
shows, a novel, a comic series,
various video games, a large
number of action figures,
a theme park attraction, and
other merchandise.
The concept
of the first film was inspired
by Dan Aykroyd's own fascination
with the paranormal, and it
was conceived by Aykroyd as
a vehicle for himself and
friend and fellow Saturday
Night Live alum John Belushi.
Aykroyd came up with Ghostbusters
after reading an article about
quantum physics and parapsychology
in the American Society of
Psychical Research Journal
and then watching movies like
Ghostchasers. Aykroyd thought,
"Let's redo one of those
old ghost comedies, but let's
use the research that's being
done today. Even at that time,
there was plausible research
that could point to a device
that could capture ectoplasm
or materialization; at least
visually.
The original
story as written by Aykroyd
was much more ambitious --
and unfocused -- than what
would be eventually filmed;
in Aykroyd's original vision,
a group of Ghostbusters would
travel through time, space
and other dimensions taking
on huge ghosts (of which the
Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man
was just one of many). Also,
the Ghostbusters wore S.W.A.T.-like
outfits and used wands instead
of Proton Packs to fight the
ghosts; Ghostbusters storyboards
show them wearing riotsquad-type
helmets with movable transparent
visors. The original draft
of the script written by Aykroyd
was very large, compared to
a "phone book" by
director Ivan Reitman
Ghostbusters
III is a proposed project.
During his interview with
Mike McGuire on CISN Country
103.9 FM in Edmonton, Alberta,
Dan Aykroyd announced that
Ghostbusters III: Hellbent
will be CGI. "I can do
all the things I wanted to
do for much, much less money,"
he stated. Aykroyd wrote the
script, which was described
by IGN as being "too
technical", with a new
team of Ghostbusters that
were not clearly delineated
and had no group conflict
or leading personalities.
Bill Murray has been thought
to have held up the making
of a third Ghostbusters movie,
despite Aykroyd's enthusiasm,
due to his preference that
the movie be animated and
his dislike of sequels. However,
he has now signed on to make
the movie now that it will
be CGI. Harold Ramis is already
attached. Sigourney Weaver
has not expressed enthusiasm
at doing another sequel. ]
Harold Ramis mentioned in
2005 that he wanted Ben Stiller
to take Bill Murray's part
in the then titled Ghostbusters
in Hell. The plot was to follow
the three Ghostbusters attempting
to find a replacement for
Bill Murray's character while
dealing with ghosts rejected
from hell. Aykroyd later elaborated,
now that Murray is on board,
that in the movie "We
go to the hell side of Manhattan,
downtown, Foley Square. It's
all where the cops are--they
are all blue minotaurs. Central
Park is this huge peat mine
with green demons there, surrounded
by black onyx thousand-foot
high apartment buildings with
classic red devils, very wealthy.
We go and visit a Donald Trump-like
character who is Mr. Sifler.
Luke Sifler. Lu-cifer. So
we meet the devil in it".
] Jason Reitman, the son of
Ghostbusters director Ivan
Reitman, has stated that he
has little interest in directing
the movie. . He was a guest
on The Howard Stern Show on
April 10, 2008; when he was
asked if he would direct Ghostbusters
3 and cast Howard, he said
"do you know how many
times I get asked if I want
to do Ghostbusters 3? Looking
at my career so far, I mean
if you just looked at my two
films, I would make the most
boring Ghostbusters movie.
It would just be people talking
about ghosts, there wouldn't
be any ghost-busting in it."
Recently, Ernie Hudson told
Moviehole.net, that Ghostbusters
III is still very much a possibility.
He said he hoped that the
new video game would generate
renewed interest in a 3rd
Ghostbusters film. The February
2008 copy of Total Film magazine
has stated that the game will
use the plot devices of the
third film, quoting Aykroyd
as saying, "This is essentially
the third movie". All
old cast members have been
signed on to the video game
aside from Rick Moranis and
Sigourney Weaver.
In an interview with Gameinformer,
Aykroyd stated that the up
coming Ghostbusters video
game would be "as closest
to a third movie that you
can get."
Cultural
impact
The video game Doom retooled
to look like Ghostbusters
was a popular game modificationGhostbusters
has had many instances of
popularity and parody in popular
culture since the first movie's
release.
The building that was Dana
Barrett's apartment building
in Ghostbusters has, since
the release of the film, been
known as the Ghostbusters
Building.
A group of credit unions
have used the Ghostbusters
symbol on their ATMs to promote
their surcharge-free banking
privileges.
An anti-anthrax gel was created
under the name of "Project
ectoplasm" after the
paranormal slime substance
from the franchise.
References have been made
to Ghostbusters in many other
films, such as Superbad, in
which a character has a Real
Ghostbusters lunchbox.
The movie Be Kind Rewind
includes an extensive sequence
in which Jack Black, Mos Def
and others recreate the first
Ghostbusters movie.[46] Using
props and costumes made by
themselves, including Christmas
tree tinsel as the streams
from their proton packs, and
a version of the theme sang
by Jack Black.
In the movie Casper, Dan
Aykroyd reprises his role
of Ray Stantz in a brief cameo.
Upon exiting the Harvey's
haunted mansion, he says "Who
you gonna call? Somebody else!",
an obvious reference to the
film's catchphrase.
In the TV show Family Guy,
Peter says "I remember
my first summer job."
This is followed by a short
sequence where a younger version
of Peter in a Ghostbuster
jumpsuit drives up to a house
in the Ectomobile and rushes
inside, interrupting the pottery
scene from the movie Ghost
by capturing the ghost of
Sam, and telling Molly "That'll
be $27.50."
Another instance is in the
episode where Peter loses
his driver's license. Trying
to pass the time, Peter hides
in the refrigerator. When
Lois opens the fridge door,
Peter says, "There is
no Peter, only Zuul."
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