Dan Aykroyd wants to pop up in ‘Ghostbusters’ sequel after he dies: ‘As long as my family get paid!’

23 July 2023

Dan Aykroyd is convinced he will be included in a ‘Ghostbusters’ sequel after he dies.

Dan Aykroyd is convinced he will be included in a ‘Ghostbusters’ sequel after he dies

The 71-year-old actor shot to movie stardom after playing scientist Ray Stantz in 1984’s ‘Ghostbusters’, and is currently filming a follow-up to its spin-off movie ‘Afterlife’ in the UK.

He told the Daily Mail about how he believes future filmmakers will use technology to resurrect his character in more sequels once he’s passed away: “I’m sure that when I pass beyond the veil they’ll come up with a story to incorporate me.

“And as long as my family gets a healthy fee and it’s a good story, I’m fine with that.”

Dan’s friend and ‘Ghostbusters’ co-star Harold Ramis, who died in 2014 aged 69 and played Egon Spengler in the hit movie, was brought back as a ghost using computer technology for ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’.

The actor came up with the movie based on his own fascination with ghosts, and originally wanted his old pal John Belushi to co-star with him, before the wild-living comic was killed by a drugs overdose aged 33 in 1982.

Dan and the original cast, which included Bill Murray, 72, Ernie Hudson, 77, Sigourney Weaver, 73, and Rick Moranis, 70, returned for a 1989 sequel.

A 2016 female-led reboot with Melissa McCarthy, 52, and Kristen Wiig, 49, as made and ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ starring Paul Rudd, 54, breathed more life into the franchise after it made more than $204 million at the box office on a budget of $75 million.

Dan said about the flick, directed by Jason Reitman, 45 – whose late dad Ivan directed films one and two before his death last year aged 75: “The writers of ‘Afterlife’ loved the first two movies and wanted to pass the torch to a new generation.

“I was 100 per cent on board. I added my whatever talents to make it happen last time and I hope to continue to do so as there are many, many horror stories to be told.”

The ‘Afterlife’ sequel is being shot at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, which is filling in for New York where the film is set, and many of the original cast, including his friend Bill Murray, are involved in the project.

Dan – who has had a lifelong obsession with ghosts and believes he can see smiling spirits including that of his late brother – added: “I have an idea for a sequel I would set in the UK. There are lots of ghosts and mythical creatures in Scotland.”