Original 'Ghostbusters' cast reunites to discuss the franchise's legacy, tease new movie
'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' hits theaters later this month
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The original cast of "Ghostbusters" reunited on late-night to promote the upcoming third installment in the franchise, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife."
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson captured lightning in a bottle in 1984 when they starred alongside the late Harold Ramis in the fan-beloved film about a group of men who open a sort-of exterminator business to help people deal with ghosts haunting them. The film spawned an equally beloved sequel in 1989 and a non-canonical reboot in 2016.
The remaining trio got together on Tuesday for an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" where they recounted old times and got people excited for the third canonical movie in the franchise, which hits theaters on Friday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Jason Reitman wrote a great script, so full of heart, going right back to the first two movies and its DNA and its heart... We just read it and thought, ‘This is the right time,'" Aykroyd, 69, said of the new movie.
Left to right: Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson (background) and Bill Murray in a scene from the film 'Ghostbusters', directed by Ivan Reitman, 1984. (Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)
Jason Reitman is the son of original "Ghostbusters" helmer Ivan Reitman, who directed the first two movies.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Murray, 71, added that being a kid who literally grew up on the set of the original "Ghostbusters," Jason understood how to write a third movie in a way no one else could.
"He had his own take because he grew up as a child of the ‘Ghostbusters’ in a way," the star shared. "He had something he thought would work as a good story and we all agreed that he got it."
When asked what Jason was like as a child on the set of the original films, Murray joked that he was "a pain in the a--."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}JASON REITMAN TO DIRECT SEQUEL TO ORIGINAL 'GHOSTBUSTERS' FILMS
The host also asked Hudson, 75, what it was like to be a classically trained actor joining a screwball cast of comedians where he made it clear that he isn’t without his own comedic chops.
"I’m always looking for a job, so I was happy to be working," Hudson joked. "They were always very welcoming."
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The cast of ‘Ghostbusters’ got together to discuss the franchise's legacy. (Noam Galai/NBC)
Aykroyd also discussed how he got the idea to write the original movie in the first place. He noted that his grandfather was a fan of the paranormal in the 1920s. When he got into comedy, it didn’t take long for Aykroyd to marry the two concepts into a movie.
Today, he credits "Ghostbusters" for introducing modern ghost hunting to the public vernacular.
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"No one knew what ectoplasm was before the ‘Ghostbusters’ movie," he said. "Now, millions of people know!"