More Ghostbusters news today, folks, so pull up a rock.

So Dr Ray Stantaz, the great Dan Aykroyd, has been talking about how, if Jason Reitman’s 2020 Ghostbusters is the success we all know it will, he plans on expanding the universe.

“I’ve written Ghostbusters High, where they meet in New Jersey in 1969 and we’re looking to do that as probably a glorified [big screen] feature or pilot within the next maybe five years…. And it would lead to a television project and I thought of him immediately for that.

It’s on [Reitman’s] desk but that’s years away from the current project. But it’s a neat idea for a prequel. Imagine casting the three characters as teenagers!”

The actor and co-creator of Ghostbusters has revealed that he has also given Reitman a script for a 1960s set prequel to the original 1984 movie which focuses on Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler and Ray Stantz as teenagers.

“That’s years away from the current project. But it’s a neat idea for a prequel. Imagine casting the three characters as teenagers!”

It’s curious how this would work as it’s firmly confirmed in the original movie that Eleanor Tweety, the ghost in the library in the first movie was the first time our three heroes ever encountered a ghost.

On the news movie, Aykroyd said it’s “a beautiful script, I can’t say too much about it but it’s going to get made and hopefully there’ll be some familiar faces…. But I don’t want to discount the work that the girls did with Paul Feig. I kind of got mad, but I realized I should have blamed myself as a producer, the costs were out of control, I should have been watching as a producer a little more, but you don’t dispute with your director.

“You hire a director, you trust a director, you trust their vision. But the job that (stars) Kate (McKinnon), and Kristen (Wiig), and Leslie (Jones) and Melissa (McCarthy) did and indeed Paul did on that movie was superior, or superb. We would have done another one but, again, the cost overruns prevented the studio from looking at it and doing another ladies’ movie.

“Now we’re going to do it in a sensible way. Costs will be under control and it’ll be brought in for a sensible budget without waste and that’s what’s important now in getting it made.”

He also confirm the budget will “definitely” be less than $100m.

But how will he achieve a movie with so much effects on such a reasonable budget? “I’m always urging to use puppets. I’m always urging to go back to the mechanicals. But CGI is so efficient and easy to use but I think that all of us are on board with the idea of maybe doing mechanicals and puppets where we can.”

“This just takes it to a new generation and a new direction that is so warm, heartfelt and indeed, quite scary when you confront some of the issues that are being discussed.”

Music. To. My. Ears!

Jason Reitman’s movie is “so different from even the first and second (film)…. This just takes it to a new generation and a new direction that is so warm, heartfelt and indeed, quite scary when you confront some of the issues that are being discussed.”

But what will we see next after the 2020 movie?

“We have at least one or two other concepts for the Ghostbusters and then we’ll look at doing the prequel, which will be a perfect button on all we’ve done up to that point.”

Get strapped in, Ghostheads, there’s a bust few years coming up…

Source: CityNews660