Dan Aykroyd Continues To Praise Ghostbusters Reboot

While a vocal contingent of ‘Ghostbusters’ fans have been less than pleased with director Paul Feig’s reboot plans, one key advocate from the beginning has been the franchise’s co-creator, Dan Aykroyd.

As well as appearing as the boyish Dr Ray Stanz in the 1984 supernatural comedy classic and its 1989 sequel, 62-year old Aykroyd also dreamed up the concept and co-wrote both films with his co-star, the late great Harold Ramis.

Aykroyd spent more than two decades trying to get a third film off the ground, before the untimely death of Ramis would seem to have put an end to those plans - at which point, ‘Bridesmaids,’ ‘The Heat’ and ‘Spy’ director Feig boarded the project and opted to take the property back to square one with Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon replacing the old boys.

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Many fans of the originals cried blasphemy - but Akyroyd has been nothing but supportive of Feig, and he has reiterated that support in a new interview.

Aykroyd tells Spinoff Online, “it’s going to be hot! The new one’s going to be big! The interplay, and with each of them, their individual voices are so well defined. They’re just such different characters, and there’s a friction. There’s a dynamic there. I’m not going to spoil it for people, but it’s going to be big, big!”

Aykroyd, who is an executive producer on the reboot and has read Feig and Kate Dippold’s script, of which he says “Oh, man, it’s funny. It’s intelligent. It hits the right notes, and I’m really excited about it.

“It refers to the first two in a really neat, classy way, but this is all going to introduce them to a whole new generation of girls that are going to want to be Ghostbusters. We always needed them.”

Asked whether he might appear in the film, Aykroyd says, “That’s up to the director. If asked, I will show up and be of service. If not, it’s totally fine with me. I leave powerful talent like that alone to do their thing.”    

Aykroyd also took the opportunity to credit his other notable co-star Bill Murray (whose well-publicised reluctance to return is thought to have been the key thing that stopped ‘Ghostbusters 3′ from happening) for his significant contributions to the original.

Of the first film’s enduring popularity, Aykroyd remarks, “well, of course it’s gratifying and satisfying, but we don’t do that alone. I mean, I think you’ve got to turn to Bill Murray and say, ‘Hey, man, thank you for 50 percent of the success of that franchise.’

“It was Murray who wrote and defined that relationship with Sigourney [Weaver]. It was just wonderful work with all those people.”

However Aykroyd had little to say about the rumoured spin-off ‘Ghost Corps’ (aside from remarking “we’ve had brilliant creators walk in… and we loved the concepts they’re coming up with”), nor did he mention his enduring hopes for his own ‘Ghostbusters 3,’ which he said earlier this year he still hoped to make.

Shooting this summer, Paul Feig’s ‘Ghostbusters’ is due in UK cinemas on 22 July 2016.

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Picture Credit: WENN, Twitter/Kristen Wiig, Sony