Hello all,

This is my first time posting so please forgive me if this has already been covered.

I heard somewhere that Dan Aykroyd's earlier drafts of Ghostbusters II were remarkably different than what was eventually written and filmed.

Do we have any information on what those earlier drafts were like? Are they available?

It would be really neat to get a sense of what was originally envisioned.

I think one of then involved Dana, Leprechauns, and a tunnel going from New York City to Ireland.

Nonstop_Death;167935
I think one of then involved Dana, Leprechauns, and a tunnel going from New York City to Ireland.

Close. I don't believe that draft involved Dana, but a new “damsel in distress”… which would have been nice, as a lot of people don't like that Dana is somehow involved in two huge paranormal events (myself included).

Doctor Venkman;167936
Close. I don't believe that draft involved Dana, but a new “damsel in distress”… which would have been nice, as a lot of people don't like that Dana is somehow involved in two huge paranormal events (myself included).

Sounds cool, where can one read a copy or synopsis of this draft?

This may not be helpful, but I'll chip in with this:

I can't remember where I read this, but a big part of the frustration behind Murray and GB2 was that supposedly all the major story changes to the script were actually thrust upon the actors and crew on the first day of filming.

So whatever early versions of the script ever surface will give us a look into the original first draft of what GB2 was supposed to be before the studio interfered.

I always wondered about Oscar… for me, the baby brought the film down considerably in terms of pacing. So was the first draft not as baby-heavy?

Doctor Venkman;167936
Close. I don't believe that draft involved Dana, but a new “damsel in distress”… which would have been nice, as a lot of people don't like that Dana is somehow involved in two huge paranormal events (myself included).

the female lead in aykroyd's first draft spec script for GB2 was dana.

later in the film's development, before the producers knew if weaver would return, the script had another female lead named lane weller. murray mentioned doing screen tests with other actresses in an interview.

the GB2 issue of cinefex has the ONLY published info on aykroyd's first draft of GB2 that i've ever found. cinefex was published by don shay, who also put together MAKING GB.

For the sequel, Aykroyd once again wrote the initial script–a story in which Dana was kidnapped and taken to Scotland where she discovered a fairy ring and civilization underground. “My first draft was really too far out,” Ayrkoyd reflected. “It was probably too inaccessible, though at the time I wrote it that it was the direction we should go in. I wanted to leave New York City behind because I thought we had done that. But New York is really the greatest arena for our kind of ghost story, and staying in the city gave continuity to the second film. One idea that did stay in our script was the notion of having things occur underground. We went skyward in the first film–up to the top of a skyscraper–so I thought for the second one it would be nice to see the underbelly of the city. But my original concept for going underground was different. It involved a pneumatic tube two thousand miles long that they traveled in for three days. It was like a primitive mail chute.”

theling;167948
I always wondered about Oscar… for me, the baby brought the film down considerably in terms of pacing. So was the first draft not as baby-heavy?

the whole baby thing was the brain child of ramis, so no, there wasn't a baby character in aykroyd's first draft. once again, from the GB2 cinefex article…

The baby idea did tie into something we were playing around with–that Bill and Sigourney had gotten married after the first movie and had a child and that it was going to be their child that got possessed.

D. OSBORN;167950
the female lead in aykroyd's first draft spec script for GB2 was dana.

later in the film's development, before the producers knew if weaver would return, the script had another female lead named lane weller. murray mentioned doing screen tests with other actresses in an interview.

the GB2 issue of cinefex has the ONLY published info on aykroyd's first draft of GB2 that i've ever found. cinefex was published by don shay, who also put together MAKING GB.



the whole baby thing was the brain child of ramis, so no, there wasn't a baby character in aykroyd's first draft. once again, from the GB2 cinefex article…

Thank you. This is pretty fascinating. I also read one of your earlier posts where you spoke about the Titanic and “all hell breaking loose” sequence. All of this points to what might have been.

That Murray was amazed at their earlier ideas just makes me wonder what was there.

Are there any copies of these earlier scripts online? I can only find the later shooting script.

doctord;168003
Thank you. This is pretty fascinating. I also read one of your earlier posts where you spoke about the Titanic and “all hell breaking loose” sequence. All of this points to what might have been.

That Murray was amazed at their earlier ideas just makes me wonder what was there.

Are there any copies of these earlier scripts online? I can only find the later shooting script.

no problem! i've always been interested in the development process of my childhood favs.

unfortunately, i don't think any of the early scripts are available online.

hey, sony… if you're listening, include a few early draft scripts on the GB2 blu-ray!