Could John Hodgman End Up In 'Ghostbusters 3'? Is Bill Murray Finally Out?

It's been a week or two since the last Ghostbusters 3 comment/rumor installment, so here's a new one to keep you going. John Hodgman, the columnist/actor/comedian who has been very vaguely linked to Ghostbusters 3 in the past, seemingly just gave up what seems to be at the very least a big description of one character in the script. His comments reveal a few things about the movie, and the implication that he is still being pursued as a cast member gives us an idea of what the producers are going for.

Update: the answers to the headline questions are 'no' and 'maybe.' Check the update after the break.

Speaking to The Best Show on WMFU (via io9), Hodgman said,

If you were hypothetically offered a role in Ghostbusters 3... would you take the role? Let's say you're [playing] sort of the dissolute son of Egon, the Harold Ramis character, and you're kind of like John Candy in Splash, you're kind of a mess. But it turns out you're a natural ghost-whisperer, a natural psychic. But here's the thing: Bill Murray's not going to be in this movie, and probably not happy that you are. But you get to be in a major role, in a major movie and one of the greatest franchises of all time. Would you do it?

A couple things. First, Bill Murray not being in the movie is very easy to understand. He's been the holdout and Dan Aykroyd's most recent comments on the project suggested that he's ready to make the movie with or without Murray. But Murray not being happy that Hodgman (or anyone else) would be in it? Nah.

So is this whole thing a joke? Hodgman later tweeted about The Best Show's Tom Scharpling being in the film, too, which is certainly a gag. Those character details, though, about Egon's kid being a slacker ghost whisperer, are all too easy to believe. And if Hodgman really is being pursued, I'll be happy that at least the film is looking to cast actors other than the current young pretty boy crop.

Still, consider this all rumor at the moment. I still don't believe that Ghostbusters 3 does or will exist. And if it does, I might have to call the Sequel Removal Service. Why doesn't that exist?

Update: Hodgman just said via Twitter, "I AM NOT APPEARING IN GHOSTBUSTERS 3. Nor is @scharpling. That was a radio #fakecastingnews joke."