Bill Murray on ‘Ghostbusters 3’: ‘They can’t come up with any other ideas’

Bill Murray

This week’s cover of Entertainment Weekly features a whole bunch of movie cast reunions with the Ghostbusters cast front and central. Bill Murray was a good sport to join in because he’s so resistant to appearing in a third movie. I can’t blame him for that. You know Ernie “No Female Ghostbusters” Hudson was thrilled to be invited for this cover. Dan Aykroyd probably hasn’t stopped smiling since he got the call. Sigourney Weaver has done better movies but fondly remembers the first Ghostbusters. Can you believe it’s been 30 years since this movie came out? Crazy.

To mark this anniversary and cover, EW coordinated with Today for a cast interview. Al Roker went fanboy and admited to watching the first movie over 100 times. Sigourney talked about the ad-libbed lines (mostly from Bill) in the movie. Murray revealed that the ghost slime was a “disgusting combination” made of “corn syrup and starch and some sort of an adhesive and a kind of a poison that’s used on chinch bugs.” Gross. You can watch the whole interview here.

EW quotes director Paul Feig, who confirms Ghostbusters 3 will feature a female cast. Feig says this installment will be an origin story and “very scary.” Really? That sounds disastrous.

Related bonus Murray goodness: Bill recently visited David Letterman. Of course Dave asked about Ghostbusters 3. Bill responded, “We made a first one that was really great. We made a second one that was … not quite as good, but it had some good stuff in it. And it’s a wonderful bunch of people. The studio’s always wanted to make another one … because [pauses and looks straight into camera] they can’t come up with any other ideas, really.” That’s exactly why they’re making a third movie.

Here’s a video clip of Murray’s visit with Letterman. At one point, he leaves the Ed Sullivan theater to train for the NYC marathon. It’s an outstanding talk show appearance even by Murray standards.

Remember this Ghostbusters moment? Hot marshmallow lovin.’

Bill Murray

Photos courtesy of EW.com, Columbia Pictures & WENN

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40 Responses to “Bill Murray on ‘Ghostbusters 3’: ‘They can’t come up with any other ideas’”

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  1. Lindy79 says:

    Good Lord I loved Ghostbusters so much growing up, and still do.
    Sad that Harold isn’t around to be on the cover with them 🙁

  2. greenmonster says:

    Tina Fey is younger looking than Lindsay Lohan, isn’t she?

  3. AntiSocialButterfly says:

    Loosely related-
    Did anyone watch Bill on “Olive Kitteridge” with the perenially perfect Frances McDormand on HBO?? I completely fell in love with it. He was just wonderful in his brief role.

    What a brutal, bleak, and breathtakingly beautiful series. If only every one could be like it. Le sigh.

    • Nadia_R says:

      I have to agree with you AntiSocialButterfly. Olive Kitteridge was one of the most moving, beautiful and poignant stories I have seen on screen. The cast was one of the best in recent times but McDormand deserves all the awards and then some. What an amazingly beautiful woman and performance! Her and Murray made a perfect couple!

    • Lilacflowers says:

      It was a great miniseries with incredible, touching performances. I saw the first two parts of it several weeks ago at a “sneak preview” and everyone in the auditorium seemed to have a really positive reaction to it (even though it is sad.) Frances was phenomenal and Richard Jenkins and Bill Murray were both great.

    • Sixer says:

      We’re STILL waiting for Olive Kitteridge to air here in the UK. I think it’s coming pretty soon.

    • mia girl says:

      Agree with you all.
      Olive Kitteridge was a gem.
      Every performance was great. McDormand was inspired – she and Murray were great together.

      But also want to give love to Richard Jenkins who I think is such an under appreciated actor.

      Emmys all around.

  4. Sixer says:

    Well I’m only here for Kiddo and mimif and their MurrayMania. Where the bloody hell ARE THEY?

  5. mia girl says:

    Ok, I’ll say it
    BILL MURRAY IS EVERYTHING

  6. Mia4S says:

    Ghostbusters remains on the list of things that just makes me happy. I’ve seen it a thousand times and I still adore it.

    Once again Bill speaks the truth. Hollywood is determined to taint anything special with their 57 years later sequels and rehashes. Ghostbusters 3 will not be as good as the original. Could it be “good”? Maybe. But it will lack the element of discovery, of the new, of being original! I’m so tired of this.

    • theoneandonly says:

      I remember seeing it at the theater when it came out; the theater was packed and it was almost an event – there is no way to duplicate that.

  7. Red32 says:

    Taking the Ghostbusters name and slapping it on something totally different and unrelated did not work for that sh*tty 80s cartoon with the monkey and it will not work for this new movie.

    • AmyR says:

      To be fair (I have a friend who loved that cartoon and fiercely defends it), the cartoon was based on a 70’s live-action show and Columbia actually needed permission to use the name for the movie!

    • Bob8 says:

      Errr, it was based on a 70’s show that came first. The shows run on a retro TV channel and are quite campy. Love me some Agarne. And the ape actor had very expressive eyes.

  8. Sara says:

    totally agree with Bill. so many people fell for it because Hollywood suddenly realized they need to spin their money making and exploiting in some kind of feminist way because thats the term of the moment. so lets do old rehashed ideas, but with women!!! still sucks. how about new female heroes?

  9. aenflex says:

    I loved Ghostbusters. Such an iconic movie. I’ve seen it at least 100 times, still watch it. I hope they don’t make a third.

    • Vesta says:

      It is definitely one of those movies… when it’s on tv I think “Hmm, should I watch it, I’ve seen it already 100 times…” And two hours later I realise I’ve seen it 101 times.

  10. mia girl says:

    I look forward to this issue of EW every year.

    And this year they give us Ghostbusters, Sports Night AND Fabulous Baker Boys (love this movie) on the cover. Awesome.

    • holly hobby says:

      That’s the only reason why I’m keeping my subscription. They feature a lot of stupid stuff a lot of times but this issue is always great for my nostalgic heart!

  11. Peppa says:

    I am a huge Ghostbusters fan. I even tolerate viewing the second one (mostly because it’s so bizarre and involves a super adorable baby). I am just not on board with this reboot. It’s not that I don’t want to see a movie with an all woman cast, because I would love to see more female centered movies. It’s just that so much of the enjoyment of the movie was the chemistry that the cast members had with each other and what they each brought to the table. It’s really sad to see Harold Ramis missing from that cover 🙁 Egon was my husband’s favorite. Oh well, we are probably going to see everything from the 80s and 90s rebooted and retooled at some point, so we might as well just get ready.

    • Esmom says:

      This. So much of the success of the films was, I’m positive, because of the cast and its chemistry.

      My teen sons are a new generation of Ghostbusters lovers, so we’ve been watching it recently. My 13-year-old’s favorite line from Bill Murray is “And the flowers are still standing!” after he pulls the tablecloth off the fully-set table. Gets him every time. I’m guessing it was one of those ad libs Sigourney mentioned.

  12. Jacqueline says:

    My brother was OBSESSED. He was little, maybe two (three, old enough to talk anyway) and he fell on a piece of sheet metal that went around a flower bed. He sliced the palm of his hand open and needed stitches. He kept telling the doctors and nurses that his name was Peter Venkman. As in Dr Peter Venkman, played by Bill Murray. So this is back before Google and cell phones and my parents are standing there with a physical birth certificate at the hospital looking like creepers.

  13. Domino says:

    Exactly, Bill. They have ran out of ideas and, what is worse, they don’t accept many new ideas from filmmakers. Nolan’s Inception almost didn’t happen because Warner didn’t like that it was not a remake of anything. All the remakes for the past number of years are ridiculous and so unnecessary, not to mention 95% of the time they will never be better than the original.

  14. Lux says:

    I’m still so mad at Josh Charles..