Before I even get into this story, yes, I realize the source here is the National Enquirer, the tabloid you see at the grocery store checkout line and generally dismiss whatever nonsense they have on the cover. But this is also the tabloid that first broke the story of John Edwards's affair and love child, so they don't always make up their stories. And the story the Enquirer is reporting today, about Bill Murray's supposed response to the latest draft of Ghostbusters 3, is enough in line with the guy's cranky behavior that I'm inclined to believe it-- or at least hope it's true.
Anyway, according to the tabloid, Murray recently received in the mail the latest draft of Ghostbusters 3, the follow-up to the hit 80s franchise that has been delayed constantly by many factors, though mostly Murray's stubborn resistance to make it. Last he talked about it Murray claimed he hadn't read the script, but according to the Enquirer he not only read it, but shredded it, put it in an envelope, and sent it to Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis with the note, "“No one wants to pay money to see fat, old men chasing ghosts!"
I mean, he's not wrong-- throughout the entire development process of Ghostbusters 3 there have been plenty of us out there questioning the very concept, and at one point the movie was going to be not a sequel but a reboot, with young, hot people strapping on the proton packs. All the other fat, old men involved in the franchise seem to be willing to go forward, but I have to imagine they've all thought to themselves that Murray might really be saving them, preventing the existence of something that could be truly, wretchedly embarrassing.
In the years-long history of Murray hating Ghostbusters 3 no one has really seemed willing to give up on the idea entirely, and rumors have flown that they might make the movie without him. This latest story seems to suggest they'll have no choice-- but come on, can't we listen to Murray just this once and ditch the idea? Shred all copies and we'll just pretend the whole thing never happened.
