Dan Aykroyd gives disappointing response to possible Ghostbusters return

18 November 2024

Dan Aykroyd doesn’t think he will return to the ‘Ghostbusters’ franchise.

Dan Aykroyd doesn’t think he will make a comeback to the Ghostbusters franchise

The 72-year-old actor starred opposite Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson and the late Harold Ramis in the first two sci-fi/comedies as the paranormal investigator Ray Stanz - and though he briefly appeared in the legacy sequels ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ and ‘Frozen Empire’, he has now admitted his time in the franchise is probably over for good because series newcomers Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace are ready to "advance" the series in a new direction.

Speaking with the New York Post, Aykroyd said: “I don’t see that coming. I don’t see where they would need us to carry it on.

“They’ve got a whole new cast, and they’ve got whole new ideas. I think probably they’re going to move on to advancing it beyond the originals, which they should.”

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Aykroyd, who co-wrote the 1984 comedy and its sequel with Murray and Ramis, added he was “grateful” for how the success of ‘Ghostbusters’ had given him his illustrious Hollywood career - even if he didn't expect it to become as immensely popular as it did.

He said: “The magnitude of the ‘Ghostbuster’ success – I guess we knew it would be successful, but the magnitude of it was a surprise.” 

After ‘Ghostbusters II’ disappointed in 1989, the series went on hiatus from the big screen until it was rebooted in 2016 with the female-led ‘Ghostbusters’.

The movie - which starred Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth - was met with fierce backlash upon its theatrical debut, though Aykroyd insisted the film didn’t deserve the criticism it received.

The ‘Blues Brothers’ star - who served as an executive producer on the flick - told People: “I liked the movie [director] Paul Feig made with those spectacular women.

“I was mad at them at the time because I was supposed to be a producer on there and I didn’t do my job and I didn’t argue about costs. And it cost perhaps more than it should, and they all do. All these movies do. But boy, I liked that film.”