MTV sat down with Sigourney Weaver, still promoting Avatar, and asked her to follow up on her earlier comments that Bill Murray would be back as a ghost and that Oscar would be one of the new team members. Her answers didn’t help the wishful thinkers at MTV, who are positing the alternate idea that she didn’t get her info from the script but rather from Ivan Reitman.
This is a possibility, but given her wording, I’m more comfortable with the idea that Reitman told her about the plans for Oscar, but not with Murray as a ghost. She says, specifically, that she doesn’t know about Murray as a ghost and that she guesses he could come back as one.
“I don’t know,” she told our own Josh Horowitz. “He could come back as a sort of Slimer character.”
A Slimer? The very room service-chomping blob of green Jell-O that attacked him in the first film and gave him the catchphrase-worthy line, “He slimed me”? That’s a pretty specific reference from Weaver, and it leads us to believe what she said at the press conference was not just an off-hand comment. But Weaver went on to say she’s not yet read a script.
“I haven’t read the script,” she said. “They’re sending me the script. I guess my little son Oscar who was kidnapped is a Ghostbuster, which makes me very proud. So Ivan Reitman called me the other day and said he would love me to take a look at it. In a few weeks I’ll actually know what it is, though I probably won’t be able to talk about it.”
Because as I’ve been thinking about it, the best line, character-wise, in Ghostbusters 2 is Venkman sharing a moment with baby Oscar, “You know, I could have been your father.”
So, really? Erasing this natural dynamic between a boy trying to be a Ghostbuster and his father-figure/step-dad/whatever is a good idea for the movie? If you’re going to have Oscar, it seems a given you have to have a LIVING Venkman.
But what happens if they have Oscar becoming a ghostbuster to get some closure on losing his father/ step father. And or trying to track him down in the beyond. I hope not. This film is really a burden on the mind. In one respect its a new ghostbusters movie, who wouldn’t die for that (possibly Venkman would). But on the other hand there is passing the torch to current hip actors who are all terrible, and a possibility that the most famous sleazy ghostbuster is dead. As I’ve said before that would ruin the happy ending of gb 1 and 2 for me.
I also wouldn’t want that kind of drama. No body should die in a ghostbusters film, also ghostbusters was pretty much a strict comedy with very little drama. It was childish fun. So lets hope she wasn’t quoting Reitman and was simply out of the loop, like it seems everyone else in the cast is.
As much as this is a bit of what one might call and “original” idea, I’m not digging the premise as all. Since the GB’s haven’t really had an encounter with a “human-like” apparition in either of the films, with the exception of the grey lady pre-transformation, on a purely technical level; this might mean that a ghost-Venkman could be treated as an entirely cg character with Murray providing voice-work.
Not interested.
I honestly think that Venkman would have retired early to someplace warm and lived a comfortable life supplemented by his many franchise royalty cheques with Dana still involved in one capacity or another, either through marriage or divorce.
Ray and Egon would be running the show, heading up tons of R&D, and Winston would have gone on to another profession (I always imagined him in medicine), lending support when needed. (Like when someone gets injured testing the new tech.)
But they wouldn’t be dead yet. LEAST of all Venkman. He’s going to outlive them all.
Venkman a ghost character means to me…Venkman’s DEAD! I don’t want a GB movie that Dr.Peter Venkman is DEAD in. I Don’t Like It! Plus coming back as a ghost is LAME IMO. One reason GB was great was the fact that this fantasy world heavily played off the real world…Obviously. Easy to identify with. Please try and keep it realistic. All I’m askin.
Well said Nev…another thing crossed my mind was the lack “human-like” apparitions as well. Couldn’t have said it any better. This movie has to be “GREAT”! Not “good”… or “ok”…F-ing Awesome! …ya’know!?
I wouldn’t mind seeing something that built on the video game. I like the subtle hint during the library mission that Winston may have gone back to school to receive his doctorate.
I think it would be interesting and funny to see him actually know more than Venkman now. I feel that this would actually end up making Winston a more useful character.
I’m okay with almost anything they do… except Venkman being dead. I don’t care if he has a reduced role in the Ghostbusting, even. But not dead. Because, as Castewar said, there’s good story stuff to be had between Venkman and Oscar. But not just that… that’s a total copout on Murray’s part, to only do it if he’s got to do minimul work. Bill, we ain’t asking you to do another three. Just do one more, man. Just one. That too much do ask?
You can do PLENTY that’s new and fresh (what Bill seems to want) without killing Venkman.
Venkman is the face of the Ghostbusters. I feel like it wouldn’t be the same if they didn’t have Pete out in front spouting off a list of charges for a job. Though if all the original parties are happy enough with the script to make a third film, I will reserve judgment. It obviously isn’t a rushed decision as it has been 2 decades since GB2 came out. The video game was well crafted and I feel like with all the originals pouring over it, this film could be even better. Dead or Alive Murray is in the film, we’ll just have to wait and see.
I think it is funny how people are upset that “Venkman is dead” but… is he really? If he is there in spirit, AS a spirit, then is he REALLY dead?
I think it is interesting to think about at least, don’t you?
OK, Im not hot on the Venkman ghost idea, but just try this on as a THOUGHT:
What if Venkman IS a ghost, and IS dead, but rather then be some sort of oddity, he just hangs around like nothing has changed and offers weird, counter insight on ghosts, and in some strange way a has a leg-up on Egon’s knowledge. Could be funny? Right? Maybe?
Anyone?
Yea not too excited if Venkamns gonna be a ghost. I do agree with earlier posts where I think they should try and build off the storyline from the video game since it already did pretty much give us a 3rd movie. Just hope whatever happens they make a movie just as amazing as the game was.
I don’t really get why some people are so intent on Weaver just guessing that Venkman’s a ghost. Almost like they won’t admit it could be true.
I don’t want him to be dead either but I’m not going to completely dismiss the fact that it could be true.
Couldn’t it be that Reitman has told Weaver some broad strokes of the story? She even said he’d called her recently about sending her the script.. Would be kinda odd of her to just throw the part about Venkman being dead out there from nothing.
And I know the Venkman as a ghost rumor has been around since years ago but do you really think Sigourney Weaver has been following gb3 super close all these years as the fans have?
Venkman being dead is a rumor from about ten years go. I don’t see the point in getting all worked up about it. I’m ok with the idea of Oscar being a Ghostbuster, but they don’t need to go for “hip” actors. Instead, go for actors that may not be that well known to the general population, but have a cult following because of their performances and actual acting abilities. I still say my number one choice for a new Ghostbuster is Simon Pegg.
As far as the Ghostbusters not encountering any “human-like” apparitions…. how do you figure that? The Grey Lady, The Zombie Taxi Driver (though the Busters don’t “encounter” him), Dana and Louis possessed, Gozer, The Scolari Brothers, Janosz as a ghost, um… VIGO? Even Stay Puft has a human-esque body.
http://humormillmag.blogspot.com/2009/12/as-we-previously-reported-several.html
@fryman86
The grey lady was the only human-like apparition they encountered who still somewhat resembled their human form. The Zombie Driver was decomposed, Dana and Louis were human, Gozer chose to take the form of a woman, the scolari brothers were incredibly exaggerated… Vigo, well, ya got me there. Although his true form was that of the demon face you see at the end post-sliming.
When I meant by the human-form thing was: I was wondering how they would pass off Venkman as a human-esque ghost (meaning, he looks the same as he did when he was alive – just transparent), when nearly all of the other apparitions in the films so far have been mutated or inhuman. It’s the difference between Bill Murray still acting in makeup versus Bill Murray voicing some exaggerated cg representation of Venkman. If he has to be dead, I prefer the former. (But I’d prefer for him to be alive, obviously. Like I said, I think he’ll outlive everyone in the crew).
Ah, I see what you mean now. Honestly though, I don’t think we really have to worry about Venkman as a ghost.
RayStantz Italy-
Judging from the story snippets from the link you posted it doesn’t sound particulary good to me.
I’d say they should make this movie about the old characters and maybe end it with opening a academy for Ghostbusters or something.
Do they really not get that people want to see the old guys back?
They aren’t asked about gb3 in every interview because people want to see new ghostbusters.
Santar-
Ghostbusters 3 will see old GBs with new Gbs…and one of them will be Oscar.. this is officially confirmed by Reitman himself
http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/movie-news/updated-reitman-says-ghostbusters-3-films-next-year-with-oscar.php
RayStantz Italy-
Thanks for the new link.
That article also speculates that Weaver was briefed on the overall story from Reitman as I also speculated.
Great to hear it’s moving forward at least.