36 years after the original Ghostbusters movie stormed the box office, the cast got together over video chat to reminisce about the iconic franchise.
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts – as well as more surprise guests – got together remotely for the YouTube event hosted by Josh Gad for his Reunited Apart series.
The group were joined on Zoom by director Ivan Reitman as well as his son, Jason Reitman, who helmed the upcoming 2021 sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Bill Murray joined the cast of the original Ghostbusters to talk about the movie 36 years on for a YouTube event as part of Josh Gad’s Reunited Apart series
Murray talked about when he first read the script, revealing he signed on after reading a portion of the story from Aykroyd’s first draft.
‘I thought, “This is the best thing I’ve seen,”‘ Murray, who wore a sailor’s hat in homage to the Stay Puft Marshmallow man, said.
‘I called him back and said, “I’m in.”‘
He recalled a cast Thanksgiving gathering where they were shown cuts from the ballroom scene with Slimer.
‘He showed us those scenes without all the special effects and from that moment on, I went back to work saying, “Guys, let’s all calm down, it’s gonna be really big,”‘
Movie talk: The Reitmans were the first to hop on the call, before they got Bill, Dan, Ernie, Sigourney and Annie on the line
‘I called him back and said, “I’m in.”‘ Murray talked about when he first read the script, revealing he signed on after reading a portion of the story from Aykroyd’s first draft
Aykroyd said 80% of the stuff in the movie was improv: ‘When you bring a master comedian and charismatic leading man like Bill Murray into a project, you know there’s gonna be contributions on the writing side,’
Aykroyd dished that 80% of the stuff in the movie was improv.
‘When you bring a master comedian and charismatic leading man like Bill Murray into a project, you know there’s gonna be contributions on the writing side,’ he explained.
Meanwhile, Reitman admitted he wasn’t sure about including the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man which Aykroyd had dreamed up in his original script.
‘I thought, the audience will go with us all the way, I’m not so sure they’re gonna go for that 80-foot marshmallow man,’ he said.
The group also fondly remembered working with castmate Harold Ramis, who sadly passed away in 2014. Reitman said he was like a ‘brother figure’.
Hudson said, ‘Harold was always the guy who helped me make sense of what was happening and what was going on and I give him a lot of credit for how I’ve been able to sustain myself in this industry,’.
Dishing: Reitman admitted he wasn’t sure about including the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man which Aykroyd had dreamed up in his original script
Familiar fances: Sigourney Weaver and Ernie Hudson were part of the reunion too which was for charity
The whole gang is here! The group was also joined by super-fan Kumail Nanjiani
‘This was a hard movie to make and he could stand enormous amounts of discomfort,’ noted Murray.
One surprising revelation was that John Candy was originally approached for the role Rick Moranis was eventually hired for – Louis Tully, the nosy neighbor who has a crush on Weaver’s character.
‘He didn’t really get it,’ said Reitman about Candy.
‘He kept wanting to play him with a German accent, with a couple of German Shepherd dogs. I said, “I think that would be confusing given the dogs that are already on the roof.”‘
He added, ‘Rick read it and called me immediately and said, “John just made a terrible mistake, I’m so happy,”‘.
They had chemistry: Murray and Weaver in Ghostbusters II in 1989
The film is an Eighties classic that made almost $300M and follows a team of scientists (Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray) who lose their cushy positions at a university in New York City and decide to become ‘ghostbusters’ to wage a high-tech battle with the supernatural for money.
They stumble upon a gateway to another dimension, a doorway that will release evil upon the city. The Ghostbusters must now save New York from complete destruction.
Donations for the YouTube event went to the Equal Justice Initiative.
All together now: Harold Ramis, Hudson, Murray and Aykroyd in 1984
How it evolved: Gad was able to get the cast together when he started talking to director Jason Reitman. During a call with Jason, Josh asked him to get his dad Ivan, the director of the original Ghostbusters franchise, on the call. Jason did so and soon Ivan and Josh were chatting it up. And Annie Potts came in too
Such a fun trio: Murray, Aykroyd and Ramis witht heir equipment for a film still
Here comes trouble: The film is an Eighties classic that made almost $300M. The synopsis is: ‘After the members of a team of scientists (Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray) lose their cushy positions at a university in New York City, they decide to become ‘ghostbusters’ to wage a high-tech battle with the supernatural for money
Gad has also hosted reunions for the film Back To The Future, The Goonies and Splash.
Also this month, Ray Parker Jr, who worked on the Ghostbuster song, talked about his documentary Who You Gonna Call? Parker was one of the most prolific session guitarists, songwriters and stars of the 70’s and 80’s.
The movie covers his upbringing in Detroit, how he became famous and what he is doing now.
They were there for laughs: Sigourney and Rick on the set of the comedy
Tune in: The Reunited Apart Ghostbusters livestream debuts this Monday, June 15 at 12:00 pm ET. The show can be found on Josh Gad’s YouTube channel
Earlier this year Bill Murray said fans are going to love Ghostbusters: Afterlife because the ‘script is good’ and has ‘lots of emotion in it’.
The 69-year-old actor is reprising his role as Dr. Peter Venkman in the film – which is a direct sequel to the original 1984 Ghostbusters movie and 1989’s Ghostbusters II – and he agreed to come back to the supernatural comedy franchise after being impressed with the story written by Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, he said: ‘The script is good. It’s got lots of emotion in it. It’s got lots of family in it, with through lines that are really interesting. It’s gonna work.’
New info: Also this month, Ray Parker Jr, who worked on the Ghostbuster song, talked about his documentary Who You Gonna Call. Parker was one of the most prolific session guitarists, songwriters and stars of the 70’s and 80’s
Jason – whose father Ivan Reitman helmed the first two movies – also persuaded Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts to reprise their roles as Dr. Raymond ‘Ray’ Stantz, Winston Zeddemore, Dana Barrett and Janine Melnitz respectively.
His docu is called Who You Gonna Call?
One part of the anti-spook squad not returning is Ghostbusters co-creator Harold Ramis as Dr. Egon Spengler as the actor passed away in 2014 at the age of 69.
Murray insists it is the loss of Spengler that drives the entire plot of the third film – which is released in July 2020 – and means the movie is a fitting tribute to his late co-star.
The Kingpin star said: ‘Well, we are a man down. That’s the deal. And that’s the story that we’re telling, that’s the story they’ve written.’
Jason, 42, admits he made Ghostbusters: Afterlife as a tribute to his dad Ivan, 73, because of the joy they shared together as father and son from his two movies.
Juno filmmaker Jason said: ‘If I think about who I’m making this movie for, it’s my father. We all know what it’s like to be told stories by our parents. I’m really honored to get a chance to tell one back to him from the world he brought to life.’