Of all the many, many dormant properties that spring to mind when one is asked to name their dream Netflix series (Star Wars, Blade Runner, A Nightmare on Elm Street) Ghostbusters is right up there at the tip-top of our hypothetical wishlist. And it seems we’re not the only ones.
When Cinema Blend caught up with Dan Aykroyd, the outlet pitched the idea of a live-action spinoff series setting up shop at Netflix, one that could even roll back the years and take place in high school. Stranger things have happened and, as Aykroyd so rightly points out, Stranger Things has happened…and the ’80s-tinged original series has been a barnstorming success ever since.
As for the chances of Netflix picking up a Ghostbusters TV series, Aykroyd admitted that he’s fond of the idea:
Yes. Absolutely. Sure. Sure. I can see several possibilities there. You know? Take a cue from these guys in Stranger Things and maybe have the Ghostbusters in high school or something.
Truth be told, the beloved sci-fi franchise has been placed in quite the predicament after Paul Feig’s all-female reboot flopped – and flopped hard. Simply put, it “just cost too much” to make, as Dan Aykroyd revealed in a previous interview:
Ghostbusters made a lot of money around the world but just cost too much, making it economically not feasible to do another one. So that’s too bad. The director, he spent too much on it. He didn’t shoot scenes we suggested to him and several scenes that were going to be needed and he said, ‘Nah, we don’t need them.’ Then we tested the movie and they needed them and he had to go back. About $30m to $40-million in reshoots. So he will not be back on the Sony lot any time soon.
It’s no secret that Ghostbusters is crying out for some fresh blood – heck, there’s even been chatter of a spinoff movie told through the lens of those spooky specters. But what are your thoughts on Dan Aykroyd’s latest comments? As always, you can chime in below.