For the past 40 years, Dan Aykroyd has played a huge role in the Ghostbusters franchise. Known for his role as Dr. Raymond Stantz, the actor has appeared in every installment in the franchise he co-created, including the most recent film Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. But will he return to the franchise once more in the upcoming sequel? The actor has shared his thoughts on his potential future.
In an interview with The New York Post, Aykroyd reveals that he doesn’t see himself returning as a future cast member, alongside his co-star, Bill Murray. He believes the future of this science fiction film franchise doesn’t need the old guard and that the next generation of original characters can carry the franchise on their own. He explained:
“I don’t see that coming. I don’t see where they would need us to carry it on. They’ve got a whole new cast, and they’ve got whole new ideas.”
Aykroyd co-created the Ghostbusters franchise in 1984 with Harold Ramis and the franchise has since become a massive success, receiving multiple sequels, spin-offs, and a TV series. The first film received a certified fresh critics score of 95% and an audience score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. This film’s success was also seen at the box office, with the ’80s film generating over $296 million worldwide. When the franchise returned in 2021, Aykroyd reprised his role of Ray Stantz. However, in the 2016 reboot, he had a small cameo role where he appeared as a taxi driver.
What Do We Know About The Next ‘Ghostbusters’ Film?
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was released in 2024, and it received mixed reviews among fans and critics. While it generated over $201 million at the box office, it wasn’t well received by critics, carrying a franchise-low score of 42% on Rotten Tomatoes. But despite its mediocre performance, it was confirmed that more movies are in the works.
Frozen Empire‘s director, Gil Kenan revealed to The Direct that it plans to continue to tell more Ghostbusters films on screen and that its story would intertwine with the upcoming Ghostbusters animated Netflix series. At the moment, there is no scheduled release date, and it’s still unknown which of the film’s stars will return for the next installment. While Sony Pictures has yet to greenlight the project, the cast told Total Film that they’re interested in returning.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is available to stream on Netflix and Apple TV+.
via Collider