When there’s something strange in your neighborhood, you can still call Bill Murray.
The legendary comedic actor is set to reprise his role as Dr. Peter Venkman from 1984’s “Ghostbusters” in the upcoming sequel “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” directed by Jason Reitman and due out this summer.
Although there have been rumors he would be joining original cast members Dan Aykroyd (Ray Stantz) and Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore), a Vanity Fair article published on Thursday confirmed the news.
The outlet’s Anthony Breznican visited the set in Canada and — while trying on a proton pack — asked how the film will be dealing with the loss of the fourth Ghostbuster team member, Harold Ramis (Egon Spangler), who died in 2014 at the age of 69.
“Well, we are a man down. That’s the deal,” Murray explained. “And that’s the story that we’re telling, that’s the story they’ve written.”
Ramis co-wrote the screenplay with Aykroyd. Rietman’s own father Ivan directed the original and its 1989 sequel “Ghostbusters II.”
Murray went on to explain how he believes the new chapter will be a success.
“The script is good. It’s got lots of emotion in it. It’s got lots of family in it, with through lines that are really interesting. It’s gonna work.”
Other original castmembers returning include Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz) and Sigourney Weaver (Dana Barrett). Rick Moranis (Louis Tully) will not be part of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”, as he stepped away from acting in 1997 to focus on his family.
The returning actors all appeared in cameos for the 2016 all-female reboot, but played characters unrelated to their original ones.
In the new film, Spangler’s daughter Callie (Carrie Coon), granddaughter Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), and grandson Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) move to an old farmhouse in Oklahoma where they discover his paranormal pursuits from the past and realize — as the Ray Parker Jr. theme song suggests — there’s something strange in their neighborhood.
And Paul Rudd plays Mr. Grooberson, a local teacher who helps the family connect the dots as he witnessed the supernatural events three decades before — including the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man terrorizing Manhattan.
Check out the first trailer for the flick above!
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” haunts theaters on July 20, 2020.
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