Actress Sigourney Weaver arrives at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013Jordan Strauss/The Associated Press
WHO YA GONNA CALL?
Movie stars are known for making outrageous demands to appear in a sequel to a blockbuster hit. All Sigourney Weaver wanted for Ghostbusters III was a role for her character's son from the previous film.
In the course of an interview with Vanity Fair to mark the 30th anniversary of the original Ghostbusters, the 64-year-old actress revealed that her return to the franchise for a third time was contingent upon producer Ivan Reitman allowing her character Dana Barrett's son to strap on the ghost-chasing gear.
"I said, 'I have one condition,' " said Weaver. " 'I want my son Oscar to be a Ghostbuster.' He said, 'We've already done that.' "
Oscar, of course, is better known as Baby Oscar, Dana's infant son in the 1989 sequel Ghostbusters II, the last film in the series.
The fact that a grown-up version of Oscar will likely be pursuing poltergeists in the third film supports the longstanding suggestion that the storyline will focus on a next-generation group of supernatural gumshoes.
The same Vanity Fair article also confirms that Canada's own Dan Aykroyd – who came up with the original concept for Ghostbusters and played Ray Stantz in the first two films – is already on board for the third movie, as are Rick Moranis (Louis) and Ernie Hudson (Winston).
As always, Bill Murray, who played the wiseacre parapsychologist Peter Venkman in the first two Ghostbuster films, remains the only principal holdout in making a third movie.
Murray explained the reasons behind his hesitation during a recent interview with the website Dazed Digital.
"It would be great if you could make one that was as good as the first one," said Murray. "It would probably be good if you could make one that was as good as the second one. But you know, there was The Godfather, then there was The Godfather II. And then there was The Godfather III. So if you want Godfather III…"
Murray's non-committal stance notwithstanding, there have been other hitches holding up the arrival of Ghostbusters III.
Most notably, Reitman, who directed the first two films, recused himself from lensing the third movie following the recent death of Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the first movie's script and played the role of nerdy Ghostbuster Egon Spengler. Reitman will produce the third movie, but he won't direct it.
And not surprisingly, there are scant other details available about Ghostbusters III beyond the fact that the script is currently being spruced up by Etan Cohen, best known for writing Men in Black III, likely with input from Aykroyd.
More importantly: When will the next chapter in the franchise start filming?
So far, nobody at Sony Pictures will confirm Deadline's recent report that Ghostbusters III will commence shooting in New York in early 2015.
But the Vanity Fair article pointedly states that the third Ghostbusters movie still has no release date – which in itself is odd, considering movie studios today routinely plan these events years in advance (get your tickets now for the release of Star Wars: Episode VII on Dec. 18, 2015).
For the time being, and the foreseeable future, fans of the franchise may have to be content with the just-released Ghostbusters Lego playset, which naturally includes a Lego version of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
HOLDING PATTERN
The FXX network has put its plans for a sitcom starring Tracy Morgan on hold. The Fox-owned network announced that it was putting the half-hour comedy starring the former 30 Rock star on the shelf while he recovers from injuries sustained in a New Jersey auto accident last weekend. The still-untitled series was originally slated to premiere in August. From the FXX statement: "The only thing we are concerned with is the health and recovery of Tracy Morgan and the victims of this tragic accident."
Source: USA Today
EYES WIDE OPEN
Steve Buscemi is not amused by the Internet meme showcasing his famously sad eyes. Earlier this week, the 56-year-old actor showed up on Late Night with Seth Meyers to promote his new web series Park Bench, but spent more time addressing the "Chicks with Steve Buscemeyes" phenomenon on Tumblr that takes photographs of ordinary women and replaces their eyes with those of Buscemi. Taking the joke one step further, Meyers brought out a series of photos depicting Disney princesses with Buscemified eyes. Said Buscemi: "It makes those characters a little bit hotter, don't you think?"
Source: Time
CUPCAKE LOVE
Buddy Valastro helped the path to matrimony run smoother with the help of a cupcake. The genial Cake Boss star recently employed his formidable baking skills to help a customer propose to his girlfriend. "The bride is a huge fan of frogs, so her fiancé asked us to sculpt a frog prince that could hold the engagement ring in its mouth," said Valastro, who shared images of the moment on the Instagram account for Carlo's Bakery, which serves as home base for the hit TLC series.
Source: People
DUMB REDUX
The first trailer for Dumb and Dumber To has finally been released. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels personally unveiled the trailer on Tuesday night's edition of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The clip showed the actors reprising their respective roles from the original 1994 film, with Harry (Daniels) tracking down Lloyd (Carrey) at a mental hospital, where he's supposedly spent the past two decades pretending to be mentally unhinged. The trailer also reveals that Harry has a secret daughter. Dumb and Dumber To is slated to arrive in theatres on Nov. 14.
Source: Mashable
HAIR TODAY
Hugh Jackman has shared his new hairless look with the world. Two days after hosting the Tony Awards, the Aussie actor shared a photo of his freshly shaved head on Instagram along with the caption, "Blackbeard is born." Jackman underwent the transformation to play the infamous pirate in the upcoming film Pan, which puts a dark spin on the timeless Peter Pan story. Also starring in Pan are Amanda Seyfried, Garrett Hedlund and newcomer Levi Miller in the title role.
Source: Us