Late last year, it was reported that following in the footsteps of his Ghostbusters co-star Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd would cameo in Zombieland: Double Tap. We won’t spoil what specifically goes down in the long-awaited sequel, but it’s important to note that Aykroyd is not present in it, and there were never any plans to include him. At least, not in how the final version of the movie played out. According to Double Tap director Ruben Fleischer:
No, he was never in anything. There was an earlier draft long, long, long, long ago that featured not only Bill Murray, but the Ghostbusters. I think it was long enough ago that perhaps even Harold Ramis was still alive, and I think that draft leaked somehow, and so someone took it upon themselves to enter it into IMDB, but it was never anything that we actually pursued.
You can listen to our full interview with Ruben in Episode 88 of ReelBlend:
Ruben Fleischer set the record straight concerning Dan Aykroyd while appearing on the ReelBlend podcast. If Zombieland: Double Tap had arrived before February 2014, when Harold Ramis passed away, then it’s possible that this scene could have been shot and thrown into the movie. But by the time the final draft was ironed out, this scene was cut out. Sorry, folks, there’s no Ghostbusters reunion in Double Tap, and this was just a case of someone getting ahold of outdated information.
You’ll have to just imagine what’s happened to Dan Aykroyd in the Zombieland world. Maybe he was turned into a zombie right as the outbreak began, or maybe, like Bill Murray, he was able to survive for many years afterwards. Although if it’s the latter option, fingers crossed things turned out better for him than Murray, who was accidentally killed by Columbus in Zombieland.
Fortunately for Ghostbusters fans, it’s looking like Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd will reunite with each other onscreen soon thanks to Ghostbusters 2020. This direct follow-up to the first two Ghostbusters movies is also bringing back Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts, so these members of the first Ghostbusters generation (in other words, they’re playing their original characters, as opposed to brand-new ones like in the 2016 reboot) will join forces with the new main characters.
As for Zombieland: Double Tap, again, we’re not dropping any spoilers, but like its predecessor, it’s been met with a solid amount of positive reception. Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg and Abigail Breslin have all reprised their respective roles for the sequel, and they’re joined by Rosario Dawson, Luke Wilson, Zoey Deutch, Thomas Middleditch and Avan Jogia.
Zombieland: Double Tap is now playing in theaters, and be sure to read CinemaBlend’s review of the movie. Don’t forget to plan your trips to the theater in the near future accordingly with our 2019 release schedule and 2020 release schedule.
