The upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie, set for release in 2021, will be giving a new representation of former series star Harold Ramis. Ramis, who played the Ghostbuster Egon Spengler, unfortunately passed away in 2014, but the minds behind this new film have still found a way to honor his memory.
Ramis, who co-wrote the original Ghostbusters film with co-star Dan Aykroyd, died in 2014 due to complications regarding his autoimmune disease at the age of 69. In his life, Ramis was known for his skill in comedy writing, and was involved in many projects including Caddyshack, National Lampoon’s Vacation, and Groundhog Day. Ramis was considered by his coworkers to be a key part of the Ghostbusters dynamic, and his co-star Bill Murray recently gave an interview saying that Ramis would be “greatly missed for so many reasons.” There was a fear that the new Ghostbusters movie would have to move on entirely without Ramis’s presence, which was so essential for the original series.
But in a recent EW interview, Aykroyd has revealed that Ramis’s character Egon will be represented in Afterlife after all. The details of how Egon would be represented, though, were left vague. In his interview, Aykroyd assured fans that whatever form Ramis’s depiction took, it would come from a place of careful consideration. “To have that formation without that man standing right there on the line with us was a pretty serious adjustment," Aykroyd explained. "He will be very well represented in the new film, I can tell you that. He’s very honorably represented."
It is still unclear as to whether Afterlife will feature a fully CGI version of Egon. In the past, Ramis’s daughter Violet Ramis Stiel has expressed her own opinion about the possibility for a CGI version of Egon, ultimately deciding that it would be alright, so long as it worked effectively. Given Ramis’s daughter’s reaction, it is entirely possible we could see a new version of Egon alongside the other Ghostbusters. That said, Aykroyd gave no confirmation as to the nature of Ramis’s representation in Afterlife. It could very well be some other visual reference that harkens back to Egon’s time on the Ghostbusters team and pays respect to his memory.
If Afterlife does choose to present audiences with a CGI Egon, it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen something like this. Films like Rogue One have featured digital reconstructions of actors’ faces in the past with decent results (Carrie Fisher apparently expressed her delight at Rogue One’s CGI Leia). A digital Egon could be a good way to pay respects to an actor who was essential to the original franchise. Given what we know so far about Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the details of Aykroyd’s interview could mean anything. The only thing that’s certain is this new film will be repackaging the old classic for a new generation.
Source: EW
