An Original Ghostbusters Storyboard Shows Paul Reubens As A Different Form Of Gozer
"Ghostbusters" famously went through many iterations behind the scenes before it became a blockbuster hit in 1984. John Candy could have played Louis Tully, John Belushi was originally envisioned as Peter Venkman, and Eddie Murphy would have joined the team as Winston Zeddemore. But as we all know, Rick Moranis, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson stepped into those roles and cemented themselves in Hollywood history. However, there's another intriguing piece of casting you might not have heard about, and it involves the late, great Paul Reubens.
If you've seen "Ghostbusters," you know that the primary villain turns out to be Gozer the Gozerian, a shapeshifting, inter-dimensional, apocalyptic entity, who has been worshiped as a Sumerian god. Though Gozer can appear however it wants, they take the form of an intimidating woman in an ethereal body suit with terrifying red eyes and a flattop haircut. In the movie, Gozer is played by Yugoslav model Slavitza Jovan, but it was almost Paul Reubens who took the role of Gozer — though in an entirely different form.
Technically, Reubens would have been playing Ivo Shandor, portrayed as a mundane businessman, who Gozer would have taken the form of in the film's third act. If you don't recognize that name, Ivo Shandor is mentioned as the architect of 550 Central Park West, the apartment complex of Sigourney Weaver's character Dana Barrett, and he just so happened to be the leader of a cult that worshiped Gozer. Shandor designed the apartment building to be a conductor of paranormal energy in order to summon the god. In fact, an original storyboard uncovered by the "Ghostbusters" collectors known as the Shreck family reveals what Reubens' version of Gozer would have looked like. Check it out below.
Are you a god?
As you can see, Ivo Shandor is wearing a plain business suit, almost looking like Rod Serling of "The Twilight Zone," and he's petting the two terror dogs who inhabited Dana Barrett and Louis Tully.
This would have been an interesting casting decision because, at the time, Reubens wasn't yet a household name. Reubens was gaining steam for his live shows and HBO special as Pee-wee Herman, but both "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" and "Pee-wee's Playhouse" had yet to exist, so it would have been another relatively unknown actor taking on this villainous role.
Knowing Reubens' work, it's easy to imagine how he might have played this role. Though it likely wouldn't have been as scary as the version of Gozer that ended up on the big screen, I could imagine him delivering a performance that goes back and forth between dry line delivery and terror. Actually, imagining Reubens doing some variation on Pee-wee Herman as the villain, going back and forth between zaniness and horror, would have been amazing, too. But perhaps it's best that Reubens passed on the role, because he ended up finding his calling when the Pee-wee movies and TV series turned out to be a hit, and the rest is history.
The Shreck Family
Back in 2019, at New York Comic-Con, the Shreck family presented Paul Reubens (pictured above with Jeff Shreck Jr.) with a storyboard showing the iteration of Gozer that he would have played in "Ghostbusters." In fact, they even had him sign the storyboard, and it's now being preserved in the family's impressively massive collection of "Ghostbusters" memorabilia. If you haven't checked out their incredible assembly of "Ghostbusters" paraphernalia, you should check out their Facebook page. It's truly a treasure trove of "Ghostbusters" stuff. Thanks to the Shreck family for letting us use their photos and keeping "Ghostbusters" fandom going strong.