Interest in Ghostbusting is at fever pitch, and the imminent launch of the original Ghostbusters film on Blu-Ray and the tie-in videogames must have something to do with it. All the same, genuine interest in the franchise is as high as any time in the last 20 years, at least, and stories revolving around the upcoming third installment are piling up thick and fast. After the break, a few bullet points that should bring you up to speed and, most excitingly, a look at what appears to be the first dialogue exchange from the next movie to become public knowledge. I’ll also toss in a fantastic rumour I’ve been hearing, but haven’t been able (yet) to substantiate. What fun would leaving it out be, though?

• The screenplay by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitksy still hasn’t been delivered yet, but is imminent. A running-draft or treatment has been at least shared with Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis because they’ve gone on to discuss it with the rest of us (see below, for example).
• Ivan Reitman has told MTV that, actually, he’s willing to think about directing the next Ghostbusters film. Aykroyd had previously named Ramis as his pick to take the director’s chair if Reitman was “too busy”.
• A five-way jury hold veto over any Ghostbusters film. Reitman is one party, three more are Murray, Ramis and Aykroyd, and the fifth is Columbia Pictures. If any of these want to nix the project, they can. It seems this would also apply to films that the individual would not be involved in - say, if Reitman wasn’t set to direct, or one of the actors not set appear, they could still wield the axe.
• I was sent an e-mail from a source inside the industry who wanted to relate a little Ghostbusters 3 gossip. According to them, Jake Kasdan wants the directing gig. As in actively wants it and, I would assume, is pursuing it. If the job was mine to give, I’d be putting a bow on it for him now.
• Empire magazine published the following passage in which Harold Ramis appears to share the first line of dialogue from the film.

I’m intrigued by my idea for where Egon has been. He’s been working in the International Institute For Imaginary Science, in Geneva. He’s evolved a post-rational, non-conclusive logic for dealing with problems of chaos. Someone asks him ‘What does that mean?’ and he says ‘There are no spatial, conceptual or intellectual models to describe it - so we don’t know.’ Egon’s gone so abstract, even he doesn’t know what he’s doing!

• In the same article, Aykroyd says that “hopefully [Alyssa] Milano will be playing the same character she does in the game”. That’s Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn, who they describe as a “love interest”. That he then mentions Eliza Dushku, directly after this, suggests that they would not be competing for the same role.

Lots more news must be just around the corner, I’m sure. Watch this space.