Screen Junkies » Dan Aykroyd

Dan Aykroyd Making ‘Ghostbusters 3′ Without Bill Murray, Is Dickless

Wookie Johnson — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:29:50 +0000

A brief timeline:

Dan Aykroyd announces a desire to make a third Ghostbusters film, but can’t do so without the consent of Harold Ramis, Ivan Reitman, and Bill Murray.
Bill Murray refuses to give consent.
That same sequence of events happens 27 more times over a two year period.

I’m sad to report that Aykroyd has decided to move on and make the unnecessary sequel without Murray. What did you do, Ray?! WHAT DID YOU DO?

“I can tell you he won’t be involved. … It’s sad but we‘re passing it on to a new generation. Ghostbusters 3 can be a successful movie without Bill. My preference would be to have him involved but at this point he doesn’t seem to be coming and we have to move on. It’s time to make the third one.”

This decision is clearly driven by greed. That’s why I recommend we pool our money and pay Aykroyd off. I’ll send a Kickstarter link shortly. (Metro)

9 Actors Who Could Replace Bill Murray In ‘Ghostbusters 3′

Wookie Johnson — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:27:41 +0000

We’ve all known Dan Aykroyd is crazy for a little while now. His claims that 9/11 probably ruined our chances of first contact with aliens, along with his bizarre vodka company, have proved that. However, we just weren’t aware he was this crazy.

In his blind efforts to get a third Ghostbusters made no matter what, he’s now talking about recasting hold-out Bill Murray. He’s now suggesting they bring in “a different actor, a la Jack Ryan” to step into the role of Peter Venkman.

Umm, that’s cuckoo-crazy-nuts. Sure, when I was growing up every kid wanted to be Peter Venkman, but I don’t think putting another actor in such an iconic role is the way to go with this. That role is Bill Murray, and it’s going to be tough to find an actor willing to impersonate him for an hour-and-a-half. But money talks, and that issue could be easily ironed out.

I’m not saying I want to see it happen, but if you were to hold a gun to my head these would be my picks for the replacement Peter Venkman.

Paul Rudd

Over the last few years, Paul Rudd has been carving out a nice niche for himself as the new face of sarcastic charm in comedy. His performance is Role Models has quite a few echos of Murray and he’d be the actor with the easiest transition into the role. However, there are problems with this plan. First, are producers really going to want to age up Paul Rudd? All of our wives and girlfriends like him just the way he is. They don’t want to see him all wrinkly. Unless he’s just getting out of the bath.

Kevin Kline

He’s been keeping a pretty low profile since Wild, Wild West killed all memories of him being funny, but please remember that Kevin Kline is pretty funny! Plus, he’s in pretty good with his Dave and No Strings Attached director Ivan Reitman. The issue here is that Kevin Kline is Kevin Kline, which is all well and good, but he’s not Bill Murray. And Bill Murray is Peter Venkman. There’s no easy replacement.

Computers

Except computers. Computers could easily render a digital Bill Murray and make him do all kinds of things he doesn’t want to do. Ghostbusters 3? Check. Another Charlie’s Angels film? Check. Wild Things Part 7? Get to work, nerds. We have a likable actor’s dignity to ruin.

The “Ayk” Is Back: Dan Aykroyd To Try Being Funny Again

Penn Collins — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:22:51 +0000

Afraid that the existing cast, which features Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell, didn’t have enough sneaky silent “y”s in their names, the producers of the political slapstick film Dog Fight have smartly added Dan Aykroyd to the cast. It’s the right move, mainly because if craft services ever runs out of liquor in oddly arbitrary vessels, they can just hit up Ray Zalinsky and get some more Crystal Head vodka. It has all the alcohol and taste of vodka, with the creepiness that only a skull bottle can provide.

Dog Fight follows two rival politicians (Galifia…etc and Ferrell) as they duke it out in a North Carolina election. Apparently, they needed one more comedian with an oddly-shaped body. Mission accomplished.

It’s unknown what Ayrkoyd’s role will be, but you can bet your bottom dollar that he’ll talk slightly faster than a normal person in a strange voice.

Unhappy With The ‘Ghostbusters 3′ Script, Bill Murray Reportedly Shreds It, Sends It Back

Penn Collins — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:34:33 +0000

Can Marvel Studios depart from their standard fare and give us a Bill Murray: Origins movie that clues us in on how he got so Goddamn cool?

For months now, it seems that Ghostbusters 3 has been hinging on Bill Murray‘s involvement. And Bill Murray has said that his involvement hinges on getting a script he deems worthy enough of the heralded khaki jumpsuit.

It’s not happening. At least not according to the National Enquirer, which has never been wrong about anything like this before.

The rag states that Bill Murray received the script, read it, then shredded it, sending it back to Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis with a note that said, “No one wants to pay money to see fat, old men chasing ghosts!” He’s probably wrong about that last part, but his refusal is so stylized that the only way his criticism could be more pointed is if he took out a thirty-minute infomercial block that he used to simply defecate on the script. He could call it I Think This Ghostbusters Script Could Use Some Work.

Even if the other Ghostbusters want to make their sequel without Murray, they’ll still need his buy in, as he’s one of five stakeholders of the film. In my mind, it’s pretty much like the Fighting Hellfish, where all surviving Ghostbusters have to turn a key to greenlight the next script.

In case you think Murray might be a little too harsh in his response, here’s some footage of him mixing drinks for people at SXSW a couple years ago. Watch the video, then think about who’s wrong, him or you.
360“>

Eight Other People Who Would Have Made Great Oscar Hosts 15 Years Ago

Esteban — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 23:30:45 +0000

On Tuesday it was officially announced that Eddie Murphy will host the 2012 Academy Awards. Obviously he will share co-hosting duties with his sister and uncle, both of whom will be played by Eddie in a fat suit.

This announcement ended six months of speculation that began immediately after last year’s abysmal effort by Anne “What The Hell Is Comedic Timing?” Hathaway and James “Maybe I Should Just Pick One Or Two Hobbies And Stick With Them” Franco.

Of course, most observers figured the Academy would go with someone familiar and safe (and named Billy Crystal) this time around. However, it turns out that the producer of the 2012 telecast, Brett Ratner, was looking for someone a little less “safe” and a little more, I don’t know, starring in a film he directed that is being released this November. So they went with Eddie Murphy even though he is clearly past his comedic prime, having appeared in precisely two good films since the turn of the millennium.

Now, as evidenced by their attempt to be hip and connect with the youngsters last year, the Academy generally tries to choose a host who is at least somewhat commercially relevant. So this decision struck me as a little strange. If Murphy can’t entertain people with his movies, which last about 90 minutes, how the hell is he going to keep 300 million people glued to the tube for four and a half hours this February? Sure, Eddie is a comedy legend, and he would have been a fantastic host back in 1993. But have you seen Meet Dave?

That being said, I don’t particularly enjoy going against the grain. In fact, I love the establishment. If “the man” writes something on the wall, I read it and don’t ask questions. So if this “picking Oscar hosts who were really awesome 15 years ago” thing is the direction the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences wishes to go, that’s cool. I even have a few suggestions for other has-been Hollywood types the Academy might want to keep in mind for the future. You’re welcome, guys.

Chevy Chase

In his prime, Chevy Chase was a physical comedy genius and a true master of the dry one-liner. He rose to stardom as an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, then parlayed that notoriety into a successful movie career, making classic comedic turns in such films as Caddyshack, Vacation, Fletch, ¡Three Amigos! and, of course, Christmas Vacation. Chevy was so funny in the 70s and 80s that he actually did host the Oscars back then. Twice. And he was great. He opened the 1987 telecast with the classic greeting, “Good evening, Hollywood phonies!”

Sadly, that was one of the last funny things Chevy Chase did for about 20 years. For some reason, Chevy just stopped being funny. Maybe all those comedic pratfalls just took a toll on his body. Or maybe all the drugs he took to numb the pain of those pratfalls took a toll on his brain. But one way or another, Chevy lost it. Luckily, in the last two years he’s been able to regain some of his old form in the NBC sitcom Community, so he might be the perfect guy to follow Eddie Murphy in 2013.

Dan Aykroyd

Dan Aykroyd was probably never quite as brilliant as contemporaries Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, or Steve Martin, but he had some pretty great moments. The unscrupulous toy company executive on SNL selling his “Bag O’ Glass”? Hilarious. Blues Brothers? Classic. Trading Places with co-star Eddie Murphy? Pretty funny. Ghostbusters? Perfect. But all good things come to an end, and I’ve got one word for you that pretty much sums up the man’s current ability: Crossroads. So yeah, these days old Danny boy would be wise to just focus on hocking his wine and liquor products and leave the comedy to others. Which means he’s just the type of guy the Academy is looking for.

4 Films That Prove Dan Aykroyd Shouldn’t Make ‘Ghostbusters 3′

Wookie Johnson — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:43:10 +0000

Dan Aykroyd’s recent admission that Ghostbusters 3 will happen with or without Bill Murray has fused faces with palms worldwide. Even with Murray, the passing of the torch to a new generation concept is a worse idea than another Indiana Jones. And Aykroyd should have learned his lesson by now. Just have a look at his track record of bad sequels and remakes.

Sgt. Bilko

This 1996 comedy is an update of the 1950′s television series The Phil Silvers Show, in which Silvers played the cunning sergeant. Steve Martin steps into that role for this iteration with Dan Aykroyd playing his easily-duped superior, Colonel Hall. Though not entirely a bad movie, it’s mostly a vehicle to have Steve Martin wiggle around on rubber legs while Aykroyd shouts and looks flummoxed.

Click ‘Next Page’ to Continue…

Hilariously, Bill Murray Hasn’t Even Read The ‘Ghostbusters 3′ Script

Geoffrey Golden — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 07:25:02 +0000

Bill Murray is one of the coolest people alive. He spontaneously becomes a bartender at parties, pushes dudes at football games, and he’s been nonchalantly holding up the production of Ghostbusters 3 since what feels like the dawn of recorded time. Everyone but Murray is signed on, but this sequel will happen as soon as cats and dogs start living together.

I once heard that Murray didn’t like the current script for Ghostbusters 3, but that internet rumor has now been busted by Venkman himself. According to his recent interview with Howard Stern, Murray hasn’t even read the thing. Awesome. Here’s what Carl Spackler himself said:

STERN: Is it true that there is a Ghostbusters 3 and you’re the problem. You will not sign off on this? Do you know about this?

MURRAY: Yeah, I guess I’m the problem. Before I was an asset and now I’m the problem. There’s a script somewhere over there. Over there there’s a script and I haven’t read it yet.

STERN: So you’re never going to read it.

QUIVERS: So you have no interest.

MURRAY: Well, I’ll get to it. I gotta get to it. I feel badly. I got a message. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings but it’s not the foremost thing in my mind right now, so I don’t think about it. You know what, the studio gets excited about it every 10 years or so or it seems like, and they read it. Because what they’d really like to do is recreate the franchise, you know? I remember once upon a time it was going to be, “And the new Ghostbusters will be Chris Rock, Chris Farley and Chris Crane or Kris Kringle.” Or someone. They had it together.

STERN: Is that a threat to you? In other words, do they try to threaten you by saying, “We’re going to put together a new Ghostbusters, and therefore you guys will have to go do it?”

MURRAY: It’s not a threat. It’s sort of businesslike. They’d like to keep it going. I mean, it’s still an amazing … there’s still kids today that watch this movie. They still sell a lot of toys and everything.

Maybe if Ivan Reitman stepped down and they let Wes Anderson direct it instead, we’d finally see Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis slap on some proton packs again. The angles would be arty, and awkward moments would be plentiful, but at least ghost busting could begin anew.

Of course, reading over his interview, I can’t help but agree with him. Do we really need another Ghostbusters movie? Ghostbusters 2 was not good, even though 7-year-old me would vehemently disagree, so why are we so excited about a third? If I’m going to give a movie studio my money, I’d like to have my childhood come out not shit on. Especially if it’s shit on by Ashton Kutcher.

So I’ll go with Murray on this one. He’ll read it when he wants to read it, and sign on if he thinks it’s good. You don’t get to be as cool as Murray without pissing off a few salivating businessmen. (AICN)

‘Gulliver’s Travels’ Lays a Giant 3D Turd at the Box Office

Jame Gumb — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 13:22:14 +0000

Jack Black must have been a very naughty boy this year, because Santa Claus shoved a giant piece of coal right up his stocking. Gulliver’s Travels 3D, Black’s latest film, came in seventh at the box office, earning only $7 million since Christmas. To add insult to injury, the film lost out to Yogi Bear, a punch-line of a film that’s been in theaters since December 17th. Although I guess there’s really no shame in failing to match the raw-star power of Dan Aykroyd. (Vulture)

Review: Yogi Bear

Fred Topel — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:35:58 +0000

The worst part about yogi bear is that at no point during the film does the bear ever do yoga. Not a Downward Dog pose, not an Upward Bow pose, not even a Warrior One. That is blatant false advertising to promise yogi bear and not even deliver. I would pay to see a bear doing yoga. The free screening of the Yogi Bear movie was almost too much for me.

Now I have no attachment to the original cartoon but for anyone who did like it, this can’t be what you wanted. Yogi (voice of Dan Aykroyd) steals a few pic-a-nic baskets in the beginning, with Boo Boo (voice of Justin Timberlake) in tow. They never explain why they talk, only that Yogi’s smart, by which they can only mean he’s mastered Hooked on Phonics. Then it becomes a generic Hollywood plot, an excuse to hang the comedy on, but not a good excuse and not good comedy.

This is one of those movies where they have to save the park by raising enough money to stop the evil politicians. Mayor Brown (Andrew Daly) has run the city out of money by buying expensive suits, so he wants to sell Jellystone Park to developers. With Nate Corddry as his Chief of Staff, you end up watching two professional comedians exercising their Comedy 101. They’ve got this and it’s a paycheck so they just show the kids why they’re evil and fiddle with car windows.

Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) throws a firework gala to attract visitors and sell enough season passes to pay the park’s operating costs. This is his only attempt to save the park, so it’s not even a formula that sets up many trials and errors This is it, and Smith tries to keep Yogi and Boo Boo hidden, but Yogi waterskis while twirling a flaming baton so “hilarity ensues.”

There’s also a documentarian, Rachel (Anna Faris), shooting footage at Jellystone and making Smith goo-goo-eyed, and assistant ranger Jones (T.J. Miller) bumbling things up. Mayor Brown actually gets Jones to sabotage the park by promising him a job at the park he’s planning to tear down. Anyway, I’ll give you Ranger Smith but not four extra humans.

Yogi Bear is busy, loud and obnoxious. The 3D is gimmicky for kids with lots of nacho chips rubber bands and spit takes poking out of the screen. All the mugging and posing of the bears is just desperate. Every scene has to have humans bumbling, animated bears bouncing around and an obnoxious orchestral live-action cartoon score.

You can imagine Aykroyd and Timberlake doing the voices. Yogi sounds like he comes from a big comedy belly and Boo Boo is a tweaked up pop star sound. I’ll give it to Cavanagh, he goes all out with Smith’s embarrassing song and dance to Rachel. The best jokes are about butt thermometers.

At least it’s so predictable you know you’re in the home stretch when Yogi has to get Smith to come back to Jellystone. Sadly, it still takes forever to work out all this political nonsense, so you’re stuck for a full 90 minutes.

10 Funniest Neil Hamburger Anti-Yogi Bear Tweets

Col. Longshanks — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:49:23 +0000

Outspoken comedian Neil Hamburger, a Tim & Eric favorite, has taken it upon himself to launch an anti-Yogi Bear tirade on his @neil_hamburger Twitter account. Neil doesn’t mince words in his explicit bursts of disgust over the live action/animated hybrid featuring Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake as the voices of Yogi and Boo Boo, respectively. I’ve picked out a few gems that nicely sum up his overall feelings, and might reflect some of the hate you experience upon subsequent viewings of the trailer and/or commercial. Check out 10 favorites below:

Thanks in advance to #MarriottResorts & #Maggianos for fighting child’s cancer by donating $1 for every #fuckyouyogibear tweet (SPECULATION)

Hey there, it’ Yogi Bear! (Stealing bowel movements from the Beverly Hilton and eating them.)

Tom Bosley’s dying final words: “Please don’t let Aykroyd voice Yogi Bear.” Died 1 min later.

Gene Siskel to return from dead with one-off, half-star film review of “Yogi Bear.”

Patch Adams and Yogi Bear to team up to teach children the value of drinking ammonia-based cleansers.

So sad to see Dan Aykroyd sink so low…I have admired him since seeing his groundbreaking work in Britney Spears‘ “Crossroads” movie.

“Yogi Bear” becomes first film to be banned in Poland since “Hitler’s Giant Cock And Great Ideas Also” was banned from theaters in 1967.

Taco Bell to put Aykroyd and Timberlake’s feces into refried beans during December to help prepare fans for experience of watching film.

George W. Bush in “Decision Points”: “Say what you will, but no Yogi Bear movie was released during my 8-year Presidency.”

(CNN): Popov Vodka to sponsor asphyxiation of children heard complaining about Yogi Bear movie on school playgrounds.

Yep, that about sums it up. I’ve decided against railing on Yogi Bear anymore since it clearly wasn’t made for my demographic, but can I bask in other people’s spot-on impressions? Does a bear sh*t in the woods?

(Thanks to Patty Schumacker for the tip)

Start Date Rumored for ‘Ghostbusters 3′

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve fallen victim to so many Ghostbusters III rumors that I’m becoming a tad jaded. But hey, this latest claim has a date involved, so it must be legit.

There’s some intriguing intel from the usually reliable Production Weekly this morning though: they’re suggesting that Ghostbusters 3 has a start date."We’re hearing that Sony Pictures is planning to put Ivan Reitman‘s Ghostbusters 3 into production in May 2011" tweets the tweet.

The nice thing about Twitter is that at least when someone uses it to lie they are forced to do so in 140 characters or less. But honestly, Sony needs to ~~shi~~ poop or get off the pot so Dan Aykroyd can move on to Blue Brothers 3D. (Empire Online)

Dan Aykroyd Takes Over ‘Ghostbusters 3′ Scripting Duties

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg have turned in their draft of Ghostbusters 3, and it’s in Dan Aykroyd‘s hands now. That’s either a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether or not you saw and enjoyed Year One or Blue Brothers 2000. Aykroyd’s jazzed about it though. He told Vanity Fair:

"I’m working on the script now and those two – Stupnitsky and Eisenberg – wrote Bill the comic role of a lifetime, and the new Ghostbusters and the old are all well represented in it… we have a strong first draft that Harold and I will take back, and I’m very excited about working on it."

He then got into the changes we can expect to see with his character if this thing ever gets a greenlight:

"Now my character’s eyesight is shot, I got a bad knee, a gad hip – I can’t drive that caddy anymore or lift that Psychotron Accelerator anymore, it’s too heavy. We need young legs, new minds – new Ghostbusters; so I’m in essence passing the torch to the new regime, and you know what? That’s totally okay with me."

Totally okay as long as this new regime doesn’t try to touch his script.

The ‘Yogi Bear’ Trailer Will Make You Sad

Reza F. — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 07:02:09 +0000

Watching the Yogi Bear trailer made me sad. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m too old to appreciate the film, or because a beloved memory from my childhood is getting its proverbial “bikini area” fondled by CGI, but something was amiss. Funnyman Dan Aykroyd‘s name in the credits only added to the malaise. But the final straw was the “in 3D” message toward the end. Well, that or the crappy rap song in the background.

But hey, I don’t want to oversell this thing. Check out the cool new trailer for yourself! (Collider)

Get sad with the Yogi Bear trailer after the jump…

Hey Kids, Here’s the ‘Yogi Bear’ Trailer!

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Earlier today we showed you the poster for the hybrid live-action/animation adaptation of Yogi Bear, and now the trailer has dropped for you kids to enjoy! And make no mistake, it’s specifically for you kids! There are CGI bears and real people co-existing in harmony in a national park with pies! Pies and pic-i-nic baskets!

The film stars Dan Aykroyd as Yogi, Justin Timberlake as Boo Boo, Tom Cavanagh as Park Ranger Smith, and Anna Faris as a documentary filmmaker looking to exploit the talking bears! Do you know what exploit means, kids?! No?! Well then you probably don’t know what chloroform means either!

Yogi Bear sneaks into theaters December 17, 2010!

Check out the trailer after the jump!

‘Yogi Bear’ Poster Destroys Beautiful Picnic

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Warner Bros. has unleashed the new poster for the live-action/animated Yogi Bear feature film. It showcases Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake, in bear form, hanging out amidst a cornucopia of ravaged picnic baskets. The worst part about it is that everything is only half-eaten. If they’re going to ruin a slew of Sunday outings, they should at least destroy all the evidence. Park Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) is going to have a sh*tfit when he sees what these mischievious bears have done. Real good example for Boo Boo, Yogi. REAL good.

Look for the trailer up later this afternoon. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some spoiled egg salad to attend to. (Yahoo)

‘Ghostbusters Live’: Coming to a Library Near You

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Finally, something tangible to report about Ghostbusters that doesn’t involve Bill Murray’s menstrual cycle.

Rather than waiting around for Ghostbusters 3 like the rest of us saps, the fine folks at Improv Everywhere decided to take matters into their own hands by producing a version of Ghostbusters Live.

The funnymen who had originally made a splash with their Best Buy sales prank which featured over eighty participants, pulled off quite the stunt with only seven able bodied comedians recently at the main branch of the New York Public Library and every spook filled second has been caught on camera for your enjoyment!

I never thought that performance art could be so relevant. It’s really inspired me to get my own flash mob version of Downfall off the ground. And if those people at the ADL don’t like it they can go to hell. They never understood my art. (DreadCentral)

See Ghostbusters Live after the jump.

GHOSTBUSTERS 3

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Director: Dunno. Supposed to be be Harold Ramis.

Cast: Dunno. (But supposed to be the original cast)

Synopsis: Dunno.