'Ghostbusters 3' Will Shoot Next Year With Or Without Bill Murray, Says Dan Aykroyd

"Ghostbusters 3" is going to begin filming next year. Sony and leading man Bill Murray just don't know it yet.

Outspoken "Ghostbusters" star Dan Aykroyd is swirling the rumor mill again, this time on "The Dennis Miller Show." He told Miller that the plan is to get the movie in front of the camera within the next year despite the fact that Sony still hasn't added it to their line-up and Murray hasn't read the flick's "excellent script" yet. That was the final component that director Ivan Reitman said the movie was missing back in March.

As it turns out, Aykroyd not only isn't being put down by Murray's lack of an involvement, he's implying that the movie could move forward without him.

"What we have to remember is that 'Ghostbusters' is bigger than any one component, although Billy was absolutely the lead and contributed to it in a massive way, as was the director and Harold [Ramis], myself and Sigourney [Weaver]." Aykroyd said. "The concept is much larger than any individual role and the promise of 'Ghostbusters 3' is that we get to hand the equipment and the franchise down to new blood."

Some of that new blood might include "Criminal Minds" and "(500) Days of Summer" star Matthew Gray Gubler, Aykroyd said. But don't put too much hope on that without an official confirmation from the actor's party. In fact, don't even assume that Gubler has been informed that Aykroyd is interested, because the Ghostbusting-enthusiast has jumped the gun before in his casting announcements. Last November, Aykroyd name-checked Bill Hader, Anna Faris and Eliza Dushku as potential stars in the sequel, but none of them had been informed of that commitment yet.

But Deadline cautions that in Sony's eyes, the "Ghostbusters" situation comes down to "no Murray, no movie." In other words, grab yet another handful of salt and pour it all over Aykroyd's latest comments -- for now, the "Ghostbusters" sequel remains nothing more than a possibility.

Would you see a "Ghostbusters 3" without Bill Murray? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Tags bill murray, dan aykroyd, ghostbusters 3

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