Dan Aykroyd Says Bill Murray Will Reprise His Original Role in Ghostbusters 2020
Ghostbusters 2020 is officially gonna call Bill Murray!
On Friday, Murray’s original costar Dan Aykroyd — who is confirmed to be a part of the sequel — appeared on The Greg Hill Show this week and revealed that Murray would be reprising his role as Dr. Peter Venkman.
Aykroyd, 67, also announced that along with Murray, original cast members Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts will make appearances in the upcoming sequel, which will serve as a follow-up to the 1984 original Ghostbusters, directed by Ivan Reitman.
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Jason Reitman, who is the son of the original Ghostbusters director, wrote a “beautiful, heartfelt script that takes the real DNA from the first two movies and transfers that directly to the third, the next generation,” Aykroyd said. “It hands the legacy off to a new generation of stars, and players, and actors, and characters.”
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New to the Ghostbusters franchise will be Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard and McKenna Grace, the Independent confirmed.
Jason Reitman drew criticism shortly after his sequel was announced for saying his upcoming sequel to the classic film will “hand the movie back to fans” three years after the release of the female-led reboot that starred Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig, and Melissa McCarthy.
“I’m not making the Juno of Ghostbusters movies,” Reitman said on an episode of Bill Burr’s Monday Morning Podcast. “This is gonna be a love letter to Ghostbusters…. I want to make a movie for my fellow Ghostbusters fans.”
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Reitman’s comments ignited backlash from those who enjoyed the 2016 Paul Feig-directed film, including star Leslie Jones.
Shortly after, the director clarified his comments on Twitter, writing that he thought the film was “amazing.”
Reitman’s clarification found support in Feig, who defended him on Twitter.
“Jason was a supporter of mine at a time when I couldn’t get movies made. He has always been a true gentleman to me and a supporter of Ghostbusters: Answer the Call,” he wrote. “I can’t wait to see his take on the Ghostbusters universe. Big love and respect to you, Jason. Your fan, Paul.”
Ghostbusters 2020 is set to hit theaters on July 10, 2020.
