I read something else that made me excited today, though, and that is the announcement of the monthly publication of a Ghostbusters comic book.  This is something that I have been hoping for, and the reason that I bought all of the Ghostbusters comics that have been released within the last few years.  IDW has finally decided to make it a monthly series, though, and it seems that fan favorite artist Dapper Dan is going to have a hand in it, if not be the series’ artist for a few issues.  I really like his style.  It evokes thoughts of what an animated series would look like if it were based on his artistic style.  I have a feeling that it would be just different enough from The Real Ghostbusters to make it a new, and not derivative, series that is distinct and original.

Of course I would love to see most of the writers from The Real Ghostbusters return to the writer’s room on a new series.  However, I also think Paul Dini would be an awesome addition to the writing team, as he has proven time and again with his work on Batman: The Animated Series among others.  Bruce Timm also went on to work on many of the DC Animated Universe projects, but would be great to have back on the team (he created some character designs for The Real Ghostbusters).  In fact, there were many creators from RGB that went on to work on Batman: TAS.

Many of them will likely be busy working on future DC Animated Universe films as well as Green Lantern: The Animated Series, but that also brings up another idea: direct-to-video animated movies.  Why not create a feature length animated Ghostbusters film to either pilot a new animated television series, or to kick off a series of animated features?  Both Marvel and DC are releasing DTV features to varying degrees of success, and I think that this franchise could sustain something like that.

What do you guys think?  Are you excited for the upcoming monthly Ghostbusters comics from IDW?  Would you like to see a new animated series?  Would you like a series of animated features released direct to video?  If they decided to create a new series, what would you want it to be like?

Related Posts

• January 10, 2011 -- Ivan Reitman on Ghostbusters 3 Script: It is Complete!
• February 8, 2010 -- A New Ghostbusters Cartoon – Coming Soon?
• May 26, 2009 -- Aykroyd talks more Ghostbusters 3, Video Game
• May 6, 2009 -- Who should direct Ghostbusters 3?
• February 23, 2009 -- Ghostbusters 3 to shoot this fall?

However, I’ve written in the past about Ghostbusters 3: Thoughts and Feelings on Continuing the Series, and I highly recommend you read it as it has garnered a lot of positive response from fans in some Ghostbusters fan forums.  It’s going to be tough to even live up to our expectations, let alone top all of them.  There will be those of us that find the new film can only sit in the shadow of the original.  There will also be many that feel the new one far overshadows the old (and most of those sentiments will come from younger fans that didn’t grow up with the original).

I admire the confidence, though, and can’t wait to see if it does hold up to things that I have heard about it.

CS: The whole Sigourney Weaver thing about her son taking over and Bill Murray coming back as a ghost…
Reitman: Oh, no, yeah… I mean, Sigourney Weaver has a role in this movie. All the original characters have parts. As well as a whole bunch of new characters… it’s got a really good story, this one. Maybe the best of the whole series. I hope we get to do it.

Read more: Exclusive: Ivan Reitman on Ghostbusters 3 – ComingSoon.net

Related Posts

• October 9, 2008 -- Bill Murray’s talking Ghostbusters 3
• September 7, 2008 -- Ghostbusters 3 – Wow, it’s Really Happening!
• January 28, 2010 -- Ghostbusters 3: Ivan Reitman to Direct, and in 3-D?
• May 26, 2009 -- Aykroyd talks more Ghostbusters 3, Video Game
• May 6, 2009 -- Who should direct Ghostbusters 3?

Could a new Ghostbusters cartoon be released sometime in the next few years?  It’s possible.  The third movie is currently being re-written.  They’re on the second draft, I believe.  It’s likely that they’ll be shooting it sometime this fall, from what I’m hearing.  The news about it is coming out seemingly every few weeks or so, when someone is able to ask one of the writers or creative team members about it all.

The movies being released lately, either based on properties from the 80s, or otherwise, have brought about multiple new cartoons in some cases.  The Transformers films have brought about both Transformers Animated and the upcoming Transformers: Prime.  G.I. Joe recently had a series called Sigma 6 as well as one called Resolute.  There’s a new G.I. Joe series in the works to join the upcoming Transformers: Prime on The Hub (formerly Discovery Kids).

With these series getting new life with new styles and formats, it’s possible that Ghostbusters could make the return to Saturday Mornings.  Ghostbusters 3 is going to bring more awareness to the franchise.  Ghostbusters: The Video Game has started to bring awareness to higher levels.  And that’s not to mention the logo, which is one of the most recognizable logos in the world.

What would a new Ghostbusters cartoon look like?  I suppose that depends on what Ghostbusters 3 looks like.  Personally, I would like to see a cartoon that is similar in style to The Real Ghostbusters.  While Extreme Ghostbusters did a fair job of that, it missed the boat on a number of occasions, being too dark for younger children.  I’d love to have the writing style and format of the series return, with the new characters and the setting being around the time of the new film.  That way, they can do what RGB did, and tell new stories in that world, without stepping on the stories that potential new films in the series could bring.

What would you like to see in a potential new Ghostbusters cartoon?  A Real Ghostbusters sequel, of sorts?

Related Posts

• March 30, 2011 -- Ghostbusters Comic going Monthly, More Animated Series Thoughts
• January 10, 2011 -- Ivan Reitman on Ghostbusters 3 Script: It is Complete!
• January 28, 2010 -- Ghostbusters 3: Ivan Reitman to Direct, and in 3-D?
• June 23, 2009 -- Sigourney Weaver Talks About ‘Ghostbusters 3′
• May 26, 2009 -- Aykroyd talks more Ghostbusters 3, Video Game

The second piece of great information is that there is a complete first draft of the script for Ghostbusters 3.  They’re now working on the second draft, and things are falling into place very well, according to Reitman.  This is very promising, and I’m really hoping that it keeps moving forward.  Seems pretty steady now, though.  Sigourney Weaver said on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that she was excited to read the script, and thinks it’ll be great fun!

The third big news is that there is some information that they’ll be filming Ghostbusters 3 in 3-D!  The fact that the rumor even exists means that they’re definitely looking into it in a more serious fashion than just a “maybe.”  That’s exciting.   But what about the 3-D idea?  Instead of talking about the advantages or disadvantages of everything coming in 3-D, what about the implications of a GHOSTBUSTERS film in 3-D? I can already see Slimer coming straight at the viewer and sliming the screen. The proton streams also would come at the screen, and likely the trap.  These thoughts don’t really excite me. I’d rather they make the film as written, no 3-D gags that don’t translate to 2-D, and then make it artificially 3-D if they still feel it has value.  This news came by way of MarketSaw: “Yes – I have word from one of my top sources that a friend of his at a certain well known effects house (I can’t say who it is, but their initials are ILM) said that GHOSTBUSTERS 3 is proceeding as planned – but – with the added benefit of stereoscopic 3D!”

All in all, very exciting news from the land of Ghostbusters

Related Posts

• January 10, 2011 -- Ivan Reitman on Ghostbusters 3 Script: It is Complete!
• June 23, 2009 -- Sigourney Weaver Talks About ‘Ghostbusters 3′
• May 6, 2009 -- Who should direct Ghostbusters 3?
• March 30, 2011 -- Ghostbusters Comic going Monthly, More Animated Series Thoughts
• February 8, 2010 -- A New Ghostbusters Cartoon – Coming Soon?

Mike Moody: The rumor is you might revisit one of your famous comedy roles, Dana Barrett, in another Ghostbusters sequel. Where do you think Dana and Peter Venkman’s relationship will be when the new movie picks up?

Sigourney Weaver: Probably non-existent.

Really?

Yeah, I’m pretty sure. I think they’re still writing it, but (laughs) I’d be very surprised … You never know. I just did a benefit with Bill (Murray), and we love working together, but I think they’re trying to create something new completely with the Ghostbusters, although I know Bill is in it. I hope my little son Oscar (from Ghostbusters II) is a Ghostbuster!

So, you won’t be appearing in the movie?

No, I don’t expect to have anything to do with it, although I wish them well.

You can read the rest of the interview, where she goes on to talk about the Alien series, visit SciFiSquad.com

Related Posts

• January 10, 2011 -- Ivan Reitman on Ghostbusters 3 Script: It is Complete!
• January 28, 2010 -- Ghostbusters 3: Ivan Reitman to Direct, and in 3-D?
• March 30, 2011 -- Ghostbusters Comic going Monthly, More Animated Series Thoughts
• February 8, 2010 -- A New Ghostbusters Cartoon – Coming Soon?
• May 26, 2009 -- Aykroyd talks more Ghostbusters 3, Video Game

Even [Bill] Murray returned – not with a hatful of diva demands, but wanting an assurance that Winston Zeddemore, the underwritten black character from the movies, would be elevated to full status.

This is really interesting. I suppose in my mind, Winston was always a full status Ghostbuster. After joining the team just after the halfway mark of the original film, he’s there for the entire adventure of the second, and even has his own episodes in The Real Ghostbusters. But I can also see his point, as Winston is the one character that doesn’t really appear on the cover of the Blu-ray edition of Ghostbusters, and (Video Game SPOILER WARNING) he isn’t included in the commercial within the opening cinematic, which I felt was a glaring omission.

Way to go, Mr. Murray! I commend you on that request. It shouldn’t have been necessary, but the gesture is noted and notable!

Now, onto the Ghostbusters 3 rumor that Aykroyd let slip, as well as my thoughts on what he could have meant.

“There’ll be a whole new generation that has to be trained and a leader that you’ll all love when you meet her,” says Aykroyd. “There’ll be lots of cadets, boys and girls who’ll be learning how to use the neuron splitter and the inter-planet interceptor – new tools to enable them to slip from dimension to dimension.”

Well… there’s an interesting statement. We’ve spoken about the new Ghostbusting tools before, but what he just slipped was the gender of the new leader.

Rumors place Alyssa Milano and Eliza Dushku as potential future Ghostbusters.  However, what Dan said was that we’ll all love her when we meet her.  That could mean many things, but I’ve come down to two theories that I think are possibilities.

Either it’s as simple as the attitude of the leader, and the character is really cool and we’ll love the leader because of how well written she is (if she, in fact, is a girl).

Or it is none other than Dana Barrett, led by Sigourney Weaver herself. That’d be quite the twist, would it not? She’d then be the former skeptical musician now at the heart of the business. Not only that, but Sigourney’s presence in that role would be something that I think would be easy to love, and she seems like she’d be a natural leader. The way that she carries herself makes her a natural fit in a leadership role.

I don’t think it likely, but I do think it’s a really interesting What if?

This morning, via twitter, I found out about a couple of the female Ghostbuster cadets that appear in the first draft of Ghostbusters 3‘s screenplay.

Carla, the youngest. Beautiful, Hispanic college grad. And Moira. Fit, clean, compact gymnastic champ and science undergrad. Bit tightass.

The source of the screenplay is unknown. I have no idea how they were able to acquire this information. However, it does fit the two actresses that are rumored for the roles. Carla would likely be played by Alyssa Milano, and Moira by Eliza Dushku.

-via Twitter, The Guardian

Related Posts

• October 9, 2008 -- Bill Murray’s talking Ghostbusters 3
• September 7, 2008 -- Ghostbusters 3 – Wow, it’s Really Happening!
• January 10, 2011 -- Ivan Reitman on Ghostbusters 3 Script: It is Complete!
• May 6, 2009 -- Sony to release Ghostbusters: The Video Game Exclusively on Sony in Europe
• February 23, 2009 -- Ghostbusters 3 to shoot this fall?

No. 1 – JUDD APATOW
I don’t know much about Judd Apatow’s style, having seen neither of his films (or been interested in either of them). In all honesty there is only one project of his that I have enjoyed: Freaks and Geeks. That will lead me to my own addition to the list at No. 9. Apatow, however, doesn’t seem like he’d be a very good fit.. seeing as his prior films seem to be comedies based on sex related topics, and I don’t want to see Ghostbusters head in that direction at all, which it could with co-ed cadets joining the team.

No. 2 – SAM RAIMI
I’d rather Raimi stay focused on Spider-Man, honestly. Adding him to this project would mean his focus is split, and a split-focused director is the last thing I want to see on a film that means so much to me.

No. 3 – JASON REITMAN
I had to look this guy up. It’s interesting that he was actually in Ghostbusters II. He played “Brownstone Boy #2″ at the age of 12. He’s also directed episodes of The Office which were very good. However, I did not like Juno. At all. It wasn’t funny to me, or clever, and I hope that is only because of Diablo Cody’s writing that it was so bad, and not the hand of Jason Reitman. Being the son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman doesn’t hurt either, but he’s already commented on the third film, saying:

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.

So that’s that.. I have nothing to worry about, there.

No. 4 – MICHEL GONDRY
I love his work on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I think he should continue to direct the scripts of Charlie Kaufman, if he can. Be Kind Rewind was a film that I was greatly looking forward to. I loved the Ghostbusters scenes in that movie, but it kind of lost me toward the end. It took a few viewings for me to really get into the purpose of the film. That being said…. I’m really not interested in a Michel Gondry directed Ghostbusters film. I may enjoy his films, but I don’t think him a good fit for the series. In listening to the commentary on Eternal Sunshine and seeing a behind the scenes video on Be Kind Rewind, I’m not a big fan of his personal beliefs, which I think are important when it comes to making a good Ghostbusters film without being cynical toward the subject matter. I’m not sure what Ivan Reitman’s beliefs are, but Dan Aykroyd was a major proponent, and he is a believer.

No. 5 – DAVID GORDON GREEN
I know nothing about him, and am interested in none of his projects. That’s enough for me to not really be interested in him as a director… and the fact that he directed Pineapple Express, which I had absolutely no desire to see, doesn’t do much for his cause.

No. 6 – IVAN REITMAN
This is one director that I know would get it right. He did the first two, after all. No problem with him directing the third. Here’s an idea: The Ghostbusters are acting as mentors to new recruits in the film; why not have a co-director that Reitman mentors, who then goes on to direct Ghostbusters 4? I’ll volunteer!

No. 7 – JODY HILL
Who? No thanks!

No. 8 – HAROLD RAMIS
Here is an interesting idea. Even though I’ve heard he’s in the same place belief-wise as Gondry, I’d have few qualms about him directing the film. He’s directed some great stuff in the past, and he’d be respectful of the Aykroyd style.

No. 9 – PAUL FEIG
As I mentioned above, under Judd Apatow, I would make this addition. Paul Feig is a director that was also the creator of the short lived, but brilliant show Freaks and Geeks. He’s directed many of the funniest episodes of such shows as The Office and Arrested Development. His comedy style seems like it’d be a good fit for a new Ghostbusters, as he is able to capture the feel of the 80s so well in Freaks and Geeks, which wouldn’t necessarily matter for a modern day GB film, but it would at least keep the overall feel of the series thus far intact. I wouldn’t mind seeing his name attached to the helm.

No. 10 – MYSELF
I’d be a little bit wary of me, as I’ve never directed a film before, much less anything else. However, that’s not to say that I couldn’t if given the chance. I have a visionary and exceedingly creative mind, and I know the franchise like the back of my hand. I’ve seen the first couple of films more times than I care to admit, and have been watching the cartoon more than anyone should. I also have a good feel as to what problems that fans of the original are going to have with the new film, regardless of who directs it. I gave voice to those problems in this article: Ghostbusters 3: Thoughts and Feelings on Continuing the Series. That being said, I’d make myself available to do it!

If you’re curious about the other websites that wrote on these directors, you can read them here: The Movie Blog and Obsessed with Film.

Related Posts

• September 7, 2008 -- Ghostbusters 3 – Wow, it’s Really Happening!
• January 10, 2011 -- Ivan Reitman on Ghostbusters 3 Script: It is Complete!
• March 30, 2011 -- Ghostbusters Comic going Monthly, More Animated Series Thoughts
• January 28, 2010 -- Ghostbusters 3: Ivan Reitman to Direct, and in 3-D?
• May 26, 2009 -- Aykroyd talks more Ghostbusters 3, Video Game

Aykroyd explains: “There will be a whole new generation that has to be trained, and that whole new generation will be led by an individual who you’ll all love when you meet him but I’m not going to tell you anything yet.”

This is really interesting and I wonder who it could possibly be. The first time that I read this, I took it to mean that the person training the Ghostbuster Cadets was who he was referring to. But reading it again, it seems that he means a new leader for the new group of primary Ghostbusters.

Having a ton of teams would make this pretty confusing and almost over-flowing with too many busters out and about. It is reminiscent of the Stargate SG-1 format, though. To my mind, I could see this working as an SG-1 style series, though. But that’s another idea for another day.

Back to the leader for the new Ghostbusters team… I never really thought there was a single standout leader of the original team.  That’s what made it so interesting and a great playground game.  Each character played a role and not one of them was more important than the other. I suppose, though, if you take it from an SG-1 style of team, that has a ranking leader who is the first among equals. Combining that sentiment with that of the original Ghostbusters formula could work so that the team dynamic isn’t lost to the structure of a military format.

Now, onto the tools of the trade. Aykroyd comments: “They’ll be lots of cadets, boys and girls, who’ll be learning how to use the psychotron, the accelerators and all the new stuff, the neuron splitter, which is going to be the interplaner, interceptor and all these great tools that they’re going to have, to flip from dimension to dimension.”

The first thing that I thought was: holy smokes, that’s a lot of information to take in. It’s kind of overwhelming. Especially when we’ve only had a few tools between Ghostbusters 1 and 2 and the RGB series (not to mention Extreme Ghostbusters): The Proton Pack, The Slime Blower, The Ghost Trap, the PKE Meter and the Giger Meter. Â Now there are some pretty fascinating new tools:

Psychotron: ? No idea what this could be for.

Accelerators: ? Like proton accelerators?

Neuron Splitter: ? Allows the user to flip from dimension to dimension? Does that mean between the dimension of the dead and the living? Multi-spacial dimensions? Interesting… hopefully it’s not super cheesy and used within the realms of reality as much as possible, like the original films.

Harold Ramis previously revealed that he and the other original Ghostbusters would be in various roles, acting as ‘mentors or advisers’ for the new Ghostbusters to learn from. I can already see a training montage happening, though I hope that I am wrong about that. The original Ghostbusters didn’t need a training montage, so why would the new team?

Related Posts

• September 7, 2008 -- Ghostbusters 3 – Wow, it’s Really Happening!
• May 26, 2009 -- Aykroyd talks more Ghostbusters 3, Video Game
• May 6, 2009 -- Who should direct Ghostbusters 3?
• October 9, 2008 -- Bill Murray’s talking Ghostbusters 3
• March 30, 2011 -- Ghostbusters Comic going Monthly, More Animated Series Thoughts

On the New Potential Production of Ghostbusters 3

A film where the original team is replaced with new Ghostbusters will bring in a group of guys that none of us has known for the past 25 years, and thus not really care that much about.

It’s something that we’ll all have to take into consideration, should this film get made. We’ve known the original team for 25+ years, and if a new team is assembled, then we’ll have to get to know them. But it’ll never really be the same, or really fit right, unless they can capture the feel of the original films well. We’ve got this feeling like they’re part of our family, and it’s like part of that family is moving out and we won’t be seeing them again. We’re probably going to get a new group of guys that look like some of our friends, because face it, they’re probably going to be about our age, by now. The original Ghostbusters were always older, and something we could grow up to become.

The new team would make it impossible to aspire to become that, in our own minds, and may even be younger than many of us.

It’s probably going to be a natural reaction that effects whether or not each of us enjoys the new film.

I think that was part of the problem with the new Indy. It had been about 19 years between films, and had it come out in like 1992 or 1993, I think we’d probably have just seen Indy 5, and thought that nothing was really too out-there in Indy 4 (it would have been different without Shia, though, and Indy’s age would have put him into slightly different situations). People would have compared it more to Temple of Doom’s supernatural feel than wondering if Indy still had it.

I’d wager that we’re all going to be very split on our own reaction to the film. For some of us, it’s going to be like an old pair of pants. They may not fit as well, but they are broken in some. They may fit just as well, and we love wearing them. For others, it’ll be like a new pair of pants, however. You know how to wear the pants, but it takes a while to get used to them.

And that’s only half of it. The other half is that a new film means new ownership by a younger generation. The new generation will claim ownership of the franchise in their world, and start treading on well established territory. There will be some that claim the new team is better, and probably younger and if they go there, “hotter” than the original team. It’s going to frustrate a lot of us fans of the original.

I just say, we have to be prepared for anything.

—–

Ghostbusters.net’s Doctor Venkman replied to this, saying:

You make a lot of very valid, very well-though-out points. You verbalized a lot of what a lot of the community is feeling…. very torn between whether or not they want a new film and the reasons behind it.

You… you’ve earned it:

And then I followed up with this:

Thanks! Granted, in looking over my original post, I would like to add more punctuation to it, and split up some of the run-ons. But it was a stream of consciousness of what I feel about the film and how I feel reaction will be. It’s kind of well-informed as well. Analyzing fan reaction from Indiana Jones, Star Wars and even Prince Caspian and Terminator and the casting of Avatar: The Last Airbender; you get a lot of various feedback and it all plays a role. Being a fan of all of those series of films, books or tv shows, but not a super-fan to the point of rabid, has afforded me the chance to take a step back and ask why fans might feel the way that they do about certain properties.

I’m a big fan of Ghostbusters and The Karate Kid for very different reasons. I grew up watching both films hundreds of times. I know how the fans of each of the previously mentioned series feel, and claim the same type of ownership of GB and Karate Kid. Case in point, I created a mock DVD cover of what they’re doing with The Karate Kid franchise: http://www.sweetpaul.com/more-karate…ain-no-thanks/

I am very thankful that Ghostbusters isn’t just heading the route of re-make, because we’ll never know what might’ve been. I wish that Karate Kid went the same route, with Larusso teaching the kid.

—–

After posting that, I found an article regarding Karate Kid in which original star Ralph Macchio is quoted:

Macchio, now 47, said he expected the new version to flop. “It feels pretty good that some people are pretty angry that they’re trying to remake The Karate Kid,” he said. “It feels good that the public feels you don’t touch certain things. Some times you go back to that, and probably shouldn’t.”

He added: “From my personal view, the filling the void of what Mr Miyagi was – and the magic of that character – is going to be the toughest task.”

It’s a different set of circumstances, and I am very thankful that Dan Aykroyd is looking after the Ghostbusters series while he still can. I think we just have to wait and see how it all turns out.

Personally, I am happy that they’re going to do a new Ghostbusters film, and excited at the potential of Dr. Venkman’s idea for Ghostbusters franchises come to fruition. Having new recruits to take the series on can help give Ghostbusters the legs to last for generations to come.

Related Posts

• February 23, 2009 -- Ghostbusters 3 to shoot this fall?
• January 10, 2011 -- Ivan Reitman on Ghostbusters 3 Script: It is Complete!
• May 26, 2009 -- Aykroyd talks more Ghostbusters 3, Video Game
• October 9, 2008 -- Bill Murray’s talking Ghostbusters 3
• September 7, 2008 -- Ghostbusters 3 – Wow, it’s Really Happening!

As for the announcement, if we get the announcement in June, perhaps it’ll be announced on June 8th, which is the 25th Anniversary of the original film’s theatrical release.

It would be a very fitting time, as the video game is releasing on June 16th. There may not be a big enough venue at that time, however, to make the announcement huge, until the San Diego Comic Con.

AICN reports:

[Comment From Tom] Dan, I’m extremely excited for the HOB to be back in its birth-city!! I will be attending many shows. On a side note, and I’m sure you get these questions a lot, so I apologize in advance – Ghostbusters 3? I’ve heard that the writers of the Office are currently penning a script? How is this coming along, and should we look forward to this movie seeing the light of day? Thanks Dan!

Dan Aykroyd: Script is commenced early summer. Hope to be in production by late fall 2009

What’s it mean? Well, it doesn’t mean a Ghostbusters 3 is a sure thing. It means that if all goes well, the script commissioned last year will hopefully get the green light by around June, and if that happens, then hopefully the movie will go into production in the Fall. So, excellent to hear Dan is still pushing forward with the film, but it’s still not a done deal yet.

Related Posts

• January 10, 2011 -- Ivan Reitman on Ghostbusters 3 Script: It is Complete!
• May 26, 2009 -- Aykroyd talks more Ghostbusters 3, Video Game
• February 24, 2009 -- Ghostbusters 3: Thoughts and Feelings on Continuing the Series
• October 9, 2008 -- Bill Murray’s talking Ghostbusters 3
• September 7, 2008 -- Ghostbusters 3 – Wow, it’s Really Happening!