A Marvel-Like 'Ghostbusters' Universe Is In The Works, According To Dan Aykroyd

Every few weeks there's a new reason Ghostbusters 3 hasn't happened yet. Some are valid, others are not, but for the past 25 years there's always something. First it was Bill Murray's reluctance, then it was Chris Miller and Phil Lord passing on the project, of course the tragic death of Harold Ramis, Ivan Reitman's departure, script problems, the list goes on and on. At the center of it all is the spokeman for the franchise: co-writer and star Dan Aykroyd.

In a new interview Aykroyd offers up a totally new reason for the delay and it's one that makes a good amount of sense, considering the climate in Hollywood. Aykroyd said everyone involved in the project isn't just looking at Ghostbusters 3. They're looking at a whole Ghostbusters universe: prequels, sequels, TV shows and more in hopes of building a connected, multimedia Ghostbusters franchise like Disney has with Marvel.

Speaking to The Belfast Telegraph (via The Hollywood Reporter) Aykroyd said the following about the larger Ghostbusters franchise:

It's beyond just another sequel, a prequel, another TV show. I'm thinking what does the whole brand mean to Sony? What does Pixar and Star Wars mean to Disney? What does Marvel mean to Fox?

He the said "the executives, the creatives, Ivan [Reitman, the director] and myself" are all looking at the next ten years of the franchise. "Not just another movie or another TV show, but what's the totality of it? The whole mythology from the beginning of their lives, the end of their lives. Ghostbusters at nine years old, Ghostbusters in high school."

Aykroyd then used a car metaphor to explains how this change in direction has effected the status:

It's up on blocks, it needs new electronics, new everything. That's what we have to do. The whole vehicle of Ghostbusters has to be rebuilt. That's the ambitious thinking that's going on now. Taking on the model of Marvel where we take all of the elements that are in this movie and we put them out there as different ideas.

He also said he loves the idea of the female Ghostbusters team, recently pitched by Bill Murray, but said there wasn't a script.

I'm a huge Ghostbusters fan but I have to say I simply don't like this idea. What made the Ghostbusters great is that they were normal guys. At nine-years-old or in high school, they were just normal people. It wasn't until that moment in 1984 that they became famous and changed the world. To go back into their history fundamentally undercuts with who they are.

On the other hand, how did the revelation that ghosts are real change the world? That's an interesting concept, but one that could very easily be wrapped up in one sequel. That's not how Hollywood thinks these days, and I'm frightened we may see Ghostbusters Episode VII: Age of Slimer in the coming decades.

What do you think of Aykroyd's idea for a Ghostbusters franchise?