The Kidd here...
The "Will they/Won't they?" question surrounding GHOSTBUSTERS 3 has been going on for longer than I'd really care to remember, with nothing ever really seeming to change. Aykroyd insists that it's going to happen. Murray refuses to be involved. The script gets worked on more and more, and, while the wheels keep on spinning, this project hasn't moved an inch in quite some time. It still hangs in limbo, because anything with the name GHOSTBUSTERS attached to it will still attract attention, but I don't know that we're any closer to seeing this sequel happen.
But Sony may be considering some new options in order to keep the franchise alive, and I've got to say: it's an interesting direction they're looking at, if this turns out to be true. Right now, this is simply a rumor, with sources telling Bloody Disgusting that the studio is exploring the idea of doing GHOSTBUSTERS 3 as an animated film. That was something on the table a few years ago before they decided to go the video game route again, which of course really started all this GHOSTBUSTERS 3 enthusiasm, and it looks like they may be putting it back on the table once more.
From a business perspective, you can see where GHOSTBUSTERS 3 going animated would make a lot of sense for Sony. You need to look no further than the money ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH is pulling in at the box office right now... and that's as a movie that was barely showing up on the radar in recent weeks. Parents are starved for family entertainment to take their kids, too, and this would be a viable option for people of my generation and older to dip into the nostalgia pool for an old favorite while bringing their young children along as well. Granted, you could still get that with a live-action feature, but going animated might allow for the audience to skew even younger at that point.
Unless they're totally going to neuter GHOSTBUSTERS though by dumbing it down for children, the problem still remains the story, which is what has held GHOSTBUSTERS 3 up since the very inception of the idea. That's why they haven't been able to move this thing forward in any form. That's why Murray has been the lone holdout. If they can't get the script right, it doesn't matter if it's animated or live-action... no one wants to see GHOSTBUSTERS 3 made if it's going to suck. And I would hope the studio isn't considering just throwing a mediocre script over to the animators with the mindset that kids will see anything, and their parents will take them to it. I admit... it's a bit of a skeptical thought... but then again, studios like money, so it's entirely possible.
-Billy Donnelly
"The Infamous Billy The Kidd"
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