Remember watching Rogue One and being utterly horrified by that dead-eyed candle face abomination Gareth Edwards called a Peter Cushing cameo? Never mind the unethical implications of shoving a dead guy in a movie he had no way of signing-off on, the attempt at emulating a believably realised person by way of CG simply did not work. It didn’t ruin the film for me or anything (Vader did that), but I remember praying it wouldn’t become a trend. Well it looks like Ivan Reitman disagrees, based on a statement released during a Ghostbuster panel at Comic Con, where the geriatric director discussed the possibility of bringing back Harold Ramis to the upcoming movie:
“Wonderful plans for an animated feature that we’re deep in design on already and we have a really great story. And of course a new live-action film. I’m not giving any more secrets.” He went on to say utilizing computer generated imagery to bring back characters is “something we’re thinking about.”
Am I the only one that finds it utterly bemusing that Ghostbusters is the movie Hollywood is still milking over 30 years later? I like the movie fine, but I’ve never seen a more apropos example of a one and done lightning in a bottle, self contained comedy. Nothing about the 1984 film suggests franchise, or even sequel for that matter. Either way, we got a pretty good one along with one of the most disastrous reboots of the decade. What kind of divine omen does Sony need to let the series go? You know, considering the death of Ramis, one of the integral elements that made the original work in the first place, didn’t quite do the trick.
Not that anyone should have to ever say this, but here it goes: You shouldn't reanimate a corpse to star in your stupid franchise – not even if the technology advances to the point it becomes imperceptible. Most film series aren’t built to formulate the perpetual success of the MCU. Those movies are based on comic books, a medium forgiven for far-fetched melodrama and stories that get increasingly weird. Continuing the franchise with or without Ramis is in poor taste.
Viola Ramis Steil (daughter of the deceased legend) recently expressed her concerns regarding a CGI Egon, calling it “bizarre” but stating the project would have her blessing if the technology was up to par. While the consent of the actor’s daughter affords some latitude to what otherwise seems like a soulless tone deaf cash grab, I maintain the belief that the efficiency of the effect is ultimately irrelevant. Something about a corporation like Sony setting a precedent that allows them to capitalize on an actor that is physically unable to give their consent doesn’t sit well with me. Where does it end? What if Sony writes a script for Harold Ramis called Butt Fart 4 and offers his estate 30 million dollars to sign off on it? That’s clearly an extreme, but sticking Egon in a new Ghostbusters film works, the technology will almost certainly go beyond just franchise attached to the actor. Humphrey Bogart as a fire truck in Transformers 10, Clark Gable in Jenga the movie. Greta Garbo in Dopey Broad in New York 2. Is that what you want, Reitman? Ghostbusters is dead, Hollywood. MAKE NEW THINGS.
