I’ve become less and less of a Bill Murray fan as time has gone on and he continually sabotaged GB3.
I didn’t like him wearing GB suit and gear at the awards show, I didn’t like him re-enacting GB scenes in Zombieland.
Those things would be cool if he weren’t stopping all development on GB3 at the same time. It seemed to me he was taking a poke at fans (us) who wanted GB3. Maybe that’s not true, but that’s how I took it.
I didn’t smile or react when I saw his cameo in ATC. I liked when he got thrown out the window.
I don’t want to agree with Chevy Chase when he said Murray was just a cheap John Belushi replacement…but that does apply to GB as much as SNL which Chase was talking about.
Venkman was originally written for Belushi I believe.
Based on his own account he didn’t really read the scripts for GB3.
Look at it a different way: it’s not so much that he was resistant to the franchise or the idea of it, but he was resistant to the idea of what it meant to Sony. Even without Ivan and Dan and Ghost Corps, there was always going to be a desire to make Ghostbusters into a major cottage industry, which would’ve been a homegrown Sony thing, unlike Spider-Man or James Bond.
The way it is, Bill did a day on the new movie and a day on Kimmel and that was his whole commitment. Had he been the star of a new movie, even if he had really restrictive press guidelines and whatnot, and even if he loved the movie and it was great, he would still have no choice to be at the heart of this piece of corporate machinery where people are counting on you to be places and do things and make the rounds, and I think that more than anything was what was unappealing to him. It’s a pressure that he has to shoulder that involves lots of business, and for a movie that he holds up as being very good, which already has one sequel he isn’t a fan of, and which would also require a ton of tedious technical work involving special effects and everything that he probably wasn’t very interested in. Taken all together, it’s not as easy as just doing someone a favor. The favor takes a year and a ton of effort and energy and is a gamble.
Part of the criticism of Bill Murray may be that he is just not aging well and can’t commit as much as he might have liked to. He sure looks older than his 65 years.
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but apparently Sony was considering severe legal action against Bill and the other original cast members if they didn’t appear in this film.
I dont think it was Bill as much as it was the ‘higher ups’. From what i can gather, they were all pretty close to a greenlight for a real GB3 (GB: Alive Again), Amy Pascal was holding up because she wanted to jump on the ‘reboot/remake’ bandwagon for the past few years with the property, and was waiting for Ivan to step down from director in order to have control back.
from what i’ve read, Bill has a infamous reluctance on set for EVERY movie. I never bought the 'blame Murray for No GB3" stuff.
I do believe if they finally got the ball rolling on a real GB3, he would’ve came back, somehow someway, even if for a light cameo.
Ivan Reitman always mentions he didnt even know Bill was going to show up for Meatballs back in 78-79.
As for not reading any of the Gb3 drafts…well, when has Bill’s lines ever been from the script?
You know, the guy doesn’t play out and out villains very often. His thing is to play bad boys who find redemption. I think that’s what threw some people off. He wasn’t doing the shtick he’s known for. Doesn’t mean he was phoning it in.
You know Im not trying to be contrarian here but as much as I like Bill Murray I just really dont care if he’s ever involved with Ghostbusters again. He was never the selling point for the movies or the franchise for me. I wasn’t really affected by his cameo in the movie and Im just tired of hearing about it. If i had to pick my favorite cameo it would be Ernie Hudson’s
Well, here’s what’s funny to me. Fans always go on about how much they love Venkman because he’s independent and not especially sentimental. Yet, when Bill basically behaves that way in real life, suddenly he’s an inconsiderate jerk and a traitor to the fans, lol.
Same with Ray and Dan. Fans love Ray’s ability to look at the positives. But when Dan demonstrates that same sort of optimism, those too-hip-for-the-room fans will call him delusional.
Even Ernie Hudson, fans love his “If there’s a steady paycheck” line. They love how Winston is the working everyman. But the minute they suspect he did GB16 “for the paycheck,” suddenly he’s a sellout.
You have to wonder if those types of fans even understand their favorite movie.
Btw, that’s not directed at you, Razor. More the fans you mentioned who were so affected by the cameo and Bill’s disinterest in a GB3.
Dont worry I didnt think it was. Hell my point was more toward the “if Bills not in it we cant make a GB movie” crowd. We’ve had quite a bit of succesful Ghostbusters without him. Come to think of it allot of the more negative pointe raised by some ATC detractors were done before in the GB franchise and done quite well. Lady Ghostbusters, done before, newer younger team, done before.
It seems to me that while not so extreme, many have voiced both a positive and negative views about Murray’s refusal to be in GB3. I never read any of the leak scripts of third film that ever came out. Though some have said they’re not necessarily good, and not entirely bad … hmmm, just like GB2 and the reboot. Personally, I don’t know why Bill Murray refused to do Ghostbusters 3, but I’m not gonna hate him or love him for it. The guy isn’t a personal friend and he isn’t a personal enemy of mine as some who treat him on both sides just because he didn’t make the third film. While I was once excited about a third film, I was satisfied once the game came out even if it was kinda a retread of the original, but hey so did Force Awakens and its the best selling movie of all time. At that point, I moved on and I never wanted a third movie anymore, and I was satisfied with the ongoing comics unlike some such as Ivo who at one point told me he doesn’t like their direction even though to me they have done things that progresses the main story line. That isn’t a jab at him or others alike, but just I disagree with that view.
With the reboot, Bill hammed it, but he was just having fun just like the others who made the movie. Heck one of my favorite Bill Murray movies is Larger Than Life, what does that say? Oh well I like things, you may not, world keeps spinning. He got to do it for a day, was with a cast of people he thought were funny, enjoyed seeing it. Bill may lie like any of us, but after 25 years of expressing his dislike of GB2 and other bad films, I don’t think he would say I thought the movie was great, even if he was paid because Bill can get away with it. Plus, props to him for making a deal I’m sure very few then and nearly no one today can get away with in regards to creating original content and have equal power as the studio WITH HIS CAST/FRIENDS. It sounds like I’m leaning on those who support Bill, and honestly I kinda do, but not from the perspective of a GBFan, but as a regular fan of his content good and some bad, but also as a human being. If life has taught me anything, no one is obligated to do something for you just because like what they did. If they’ll do it, they will, if not, well then just enjoy something else. He doesn’t hate Dan, Ernie, Harold, and Ivan for trying to do the 3rd one. They know how he works and they’re his friends, and they don’t hate him. Sure there’s regret, but what friendship doesn’t have that? Honestly? And as of now they might even be fine/happy that he came to do his cameo. If his friends/co-stars are fine with that, good, if you’re not, good you’re entitled to your opinion, but to hate him is unnecessary and you have better things to do to society and this community than that.
