In response to Bizdogs well thought out post…
I would venture to say that the “95%” estimation of the improv…that went on during the filming of GB1 is a little high. When Ramis,Reitman, and Akroyd did the re-write…they had Bill Murray in mind for the role of Venkman..and Ramis even said he liked writing for Bills character, now while it IS true that there was improv going on (some of the most genius work on that movie, paticularly Rick Moranis, in his party scene towards the mid-to end of the film). However, i would say the number 95% improv is way off, when it comes to the one-liners in Ghostbusters 1. As it pertains to Mr. Akroyd's writing ability, i agree whole-heartedly, Akroyd had a GREAT concept…and Ivan Reitman recognized that, and suggested that he work on it with Reitman. Reitman viewed it as a going into business movie, while Akroyd's original script has the Ghostbusters set in the future, competing with other Ghostbusting companies. What do i think they could do, to make GB 3 work???
Well as much as i hate to say it…you have to get a new cast, it seems like a cliche, but it's the only way to make ghostbusters thrive. I elaborated abit on what GB3 should be like on another board, however i'm changing it up just abit. Use Ramis,use Hudson,use Akroyd…throw Murray in for a cameo…but you have to find 2 Ghostbusters, Jason Lee might be a good fit for one, David Duchovny for another perhaps? Either way, i'm not committed to JUST these people, but i just want to get the idea across…i want to stay AWAY from Extreme Ghostbusters, I don't want GB 3 to be a poster child for Politically Correctness, No, i don't want a plethora of societies misfits or outcasts, no gothic girl, no wheel chair patients, no stereotypical hollywood latino accents. Just two…normal guys. The emphasis here is NEW characters, we can't go with the “brains,mouth, and hands” concept. This time, you center the story around two new guys. I think Akroyd and Hudson could get the job done with two new guys, as much as i'd love to throw Murray in there, and Ramis, i just can't see them in action, between Bill's gray hairs and Harolds gut, i don't believe it would be appealing to see them in action, as much as i LOVED them in their roles. The idea is…make these two new guys carry THIS film…and the next one. No one said there has to be 4 Ghostbusters. It may seem like a small change, but it changes the face and expectations of Ghostbusters. Also by using just two ghostbusters…you can develop two characters, their relationship, their backgrounds in a much more in depth fashion, I believe this to be very beneficial to the cast, as well as the fans. This may burn into the fans mind…that this is a gradual process, as well it'd be very akward, and would pull back from the movie greatly, if you just brought in Ray and Winston, found 4 random people to be ghostbusters, and then within that hour and 30 minutes, fill you in, on all 4 of these people, and see them evolve and react to this new world that they're being brought into, this new lifestyle. Also, you bring these two new ghostbusters in, and they act as a surrogate to the viewer, much like Winston did in GB1…but of course this duo will have a much more prominent and important role. Now, you still have to define these two characters…but just by definition and experience (story wise) they'll become the brains, and the mouth, and the hands…both of them, this is a very broad outline, but the major emphasis is TWO ghostbusters…so many people assume that we get a new movie, and assume that we'd be getting 4 new Ghostbusters, and i think that expectation ALONE ruins the concept of this movie.
I agree with Bizdog for MOST of what he said, but the new ghostbusters and bringing in new guys is the ONLY way to go, OBVIOUSLY the casting is VERY crucial, as is the story…but i believe they can get the script and story RIGHT…if you bring together Reitman,Ramis and Akroyd and refine the concept. I also agree with Bizdog that Extreme Ghostbusters was very forgettable, I am all for a revival of the Real Ghostbusters cartoon, or something like it, but please…either USE the Original RGB characters…OR get 4 new characters, or two, and gradually work in another character or two…and go from there, and stay away from all of the stereotypical, politically correct characters to draw in a more diverse audience, because it WILL insult your hardcore, and most loyal viewers…which is exactly what EGB did.