It seems that unless Bill Murray signs on, Ghostbusters III is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
An article posted on Deadline yesterday by Mike Fleming claims that returning director Ivan Reitman and Sony Pictures have no idea if Bill Murray is on board after receiving the proposed script. If he doesn't sign on, the studio will reportedly not make the film.
Quoting an insider, Fleming adds, "The studio won't even think about forward on a $150 million film unless Bill has a closed deal and a commitment. It's too huge a risk to do any meaningful prep, hoping he shows up."
Murray's Dr. Peter Venkman is easily the most popular Ghostbuster, so it's not hard to see the film not going forward if he passes on the project. On the plus side, though, it sounds as if Sigourney Weaver is game for returning as Venkman's love interest, Dana Barrett. In an interview last month for Entertainment Weekly, Weaver mentioned that Murray told her they were going to go ahead with Ghostbusters III, but that she wasn't sure about that. She added, however, "But I’ve talked to Ivan Reitman. He definitely wants to do it. There was a script that was being rewritten as of about a year ago. The one thing I said is that I’ll do it if Oscar, my little son, can be a Ghostbuster, and I think he liked that idea."
Ghostbusters: The Next Generation? Make it so.