Original Ghostbusters star Dan Ackroyd doesn’t see a return to the franchise in his future.
He most recently returned as his character Ray Stantz in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, alongside Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman, Ernie Hudson’s Winston Zeddemore, and Janine Melnitz’s Annie Potts.
“I don’t see that coming,” Ackroyd told the New York Post, when asked if he and Bill Murray would do more Ghostbusters films.
“I don’t see where they would need us to carry it on,” he added. “They’ve got a whole new cast, and they’ve got whole new ideas.”
It also sounds like Akroyd is happy with that move for the franchise. “I think probably they’re going to move on to advancing it beyond the originals, which they should,” he said.
But, when GamesRadar+ spoke to Hudson earlier this year, he sounded more open to a return. “I haven’t heard anything [about a sequel to Frozen Empire] but I’m the last guy to hear… I try to say, ‘Hey guys, you know, I have some ideas we can talk about first’. But I do love Jason [Reitman, writer and producer], he reaches out, and I know they have a lot of ideas – I just want it to be known that I’m always available. It’s exciting, there’s lots to explore, we are in an interesting place, and there’s an audience for it. Let’s take it to a different level!”
As for new ideas, Frozen Empire director Gil Kenan already has some. “I’m a greedy fan. I want more and more Ghostbusters fans, I’d be happy if these stories extended out in every direction . I’m happy that we’re back in New York City, but I wouldn’t mind seeing something that actually goes to other parts of the world,” he told us earlier this year. “I do feel like one of the things that we explore in this film is that there are mythologies that speak to not just ancient threats, but ancient ghost-busting that the team in 1984 were not the first to come together to find a way to stop a supernatural threat.”
While you wait for more Ghostbusters, check out our guide to all of 2024’s most exciting upcoming movie release dates.