Today’s Installment of “Bill Murray Screws With Everyone on Where He Stands on Ghostbusters 3“

In his recent appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman (the same one containing the announcement for the hologram banjo tour), Bill Murray once again played with everyone’s head on his stance on making a third Ghostbusters movie. As we know, Ghostbusters 3 is the Lazarus of possible sequels, and it always comes down to whether Murray (who played Peter Venkman, without whom there is no Ghostbusters) wants to appear in the movie. Usually, that answer is vaguely negative, and then Murray will turn around and say, “Yeah, you know, maybe.” Guess what he did on Letterman after saying “no” months ago? He turned it around again. Again.

Here is my theory: Bill Murray is going to waffle on this until everyone else — Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Ivan Reitman — is dead and they are just completely unable to do another Ghostbusters movie. I’m convinced that’s his plan.

Murray’s mantra about doing Ghostbusters 3 is that it would absolutely require a really good script. And you really can’t blame him for that. He wasn’t ever thrilled about the second movie (even though some of us — especially if we were born too late to see the first one in theaters, but were just old enough to see the second one — love the second one, present company included), and says to David Letterman that it’s just plain hard to make a sequel when the first movie was so good. And that is absolutely true. Sometimes sequels top the originals, or are just as good. And sometimes, they’re just embarrassing. And let’s give credit to Murray for not wanting to take a risk on a beloved franchise.

But here’s where I’ll express my support for another Ghostbusters sequel: it’s been a long time, and it’s not as if we have to top the previous movie’s box office. It’s a whole new ballgame now, and this can practically be a reboot. (A strictly one-time reboot. And that’s it.) They’d have new Ghostbusters, with the original cast still on board for significant parts, and just imagine how awesome the special effects could be!

However, this is still incredibly risky, and it makes sense for Murray to tread lightly around it. But we’re definitely getting to the point of “shit or get off the pot” now. Personally, I think it’s hilarious to see Murray go back and forth on this like it’s performance art. I really do believe he has no intention of being a part of Ghostbusters 3 and will stall and stall and stall until it literally cannot happen. Because you cannot have Ghostbusters without the original people being involved. It will never be right. (It would be even more egregious than turning the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles into aliens.)

At least we know that we can get the Bill Murray hologram to appear, and that’s reason enough to wake up every morning.

Here is the clip from Letterman:

(via Blastr)

Previously in Ghostbusters

• Let’s Take the Ghostbusters Tour of New York City! Emotions Optional! [Video]
• Sigourney Weaver Has Some Things to Say About the Avatar and Ghostbusters Sequels
• Dan Aykroyd: Ghostbusters 3 May Begin Production in the Spring

Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +? You totally should. We like you!