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Recently, we had a chance to speak with Dan Aykroyd, one of the masterminds behind the popular Ghostbusters movie franchise. With Atari's upcoming video game of the same name set to debut on June 19th, the actor was on hand to discuss the third movie, Sigourney Weaver's lack of involvement and even his Crystal Head vodka.
Aykroyd poses for pictures after showing, what he considers his third Ghostbusters movie.
Things kicked off for members of the press as Aykroyd rolled in with cases of his vodka. Housed within an expertly carved crystal glass skull, the tasty liquid was much more than a cheap sell; gamers will actually see a flying skull sequence in the video game.
Then he began by expressing excitement about the partnership with Atari, and mentioned his long desire to see the third film get made. Aykroyd said that the road to produce the film had been "long and arduous," and felt that you "don't get success unless you strive and have hard work."
And Aykroyd's appreciation for the work the game's developers had placed into the creative effort was complimented by describing them as "real passionate fans." The road to making the game has not been an easy one as Activision had decided in July 2008 to not publish the game, leaving the game-in-progress and the development staff in publisher limbo. Concerned for both the property and the developers' jobs, he was happy to learn that Atari stepped in to pick up the publishing rights in December 2008, largely because this was personal as he admitted, "This is the third movie. That's why I was so excited and passionate about it."
When asked about his level of involvement with the actual game, Aykroyd said that he "helped to shape the script a bit," and that his vocal contribution was limited to "Recruit! Get up here! Hey! Here they come! Whoah!" The only time he really stepped in was when he needed to help the designers with terms from the first and second movies. After that, the challenge came from adapting the movie screenplay to a video game. "A screenplay is 120 pages and a game is 650 pages," he said.
Yet, Aykroyd's interest in the Ghostbusters franchise isn't just for the money, as the actor carries a deep interest in the spirit world. "I'm the biggest cheerleader for this concept. It's a longstanding belief in my family that there is an afterlife and I believe in spiritualism." In fact, his family has deep-seated convictions concerning seances and levitating objects. Aykroyd even came into contact with a ghost while in Los Angeles, where an uninvited visitor sat next to him in bed. Interestingly, we're not sure if that was the inspiration behind the ghostly encounter that Aykroyd's character has in bed during the first film.
One of the biggest issues surrounding the game is Sigourney Weaver's involvement, or lack thereof. Instead of joining Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Aykroyd and a host other actors from the films, Weaver elected to skip the video game because she was concerned about its quality. In regards to her decision, Aykroyd said that he respects "Sigourney's view towards protecting the quality of the first movie and the good things that were in the second movie. She's kind of watching out for her and our legacy, which is understandable. The Alyssa Milano character leads us to a new generation. It's a new story. When we do the Ghostbusters 3 movie, Sigourney will make that happen." Milano signed onto the video game project in March 2009 and will play Bill Murray's love interest in the game.
Thus far, Ghostbusters: The Video Game looks stunning. When asked about the visuals, Dan complimented the efforts he's seen in the game, "This game is real... I think they've done a tremendous job of showing the city. They made Manhattan a star. The third movie might be a sequel to this. If it is a reality, I'm sure the concept for a game will come out of that. [This game] may lead to a story for a fourth one."
Finally, attendees asked him about whether video games are more suited to these types of stories over movies. Aykroyd left on this note. "I have two incredible, what I think are great, science fiction stories. I'm just going to skip the movies altogether and find some gamers. Maybe go with these guys again. I'll just give them the scripts and tell them to pretend the movie got made."
Atari plans to release Ghostbusters: The Video Game on June 19th.
Related Links
Ghostbusters: The Video Game Xbox 360 Game Guide
Ghostbusters: The Video Game PS3 Game Guide
Ghostbusters: The Video Game Wii Game Guide
Ghostbusters: The Video Game PS2 Game Guide
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