Actor Dan Aykroyd has written a script for a Ghostbusters prequel that would feature the team during their high school years in 1969. Fans of the original Ghostbusters movies shouldn’t get too excited just yet, however, as the only confirmed upcoming Ghostbusters film is the soon-to-be sequel directed by Jason Reitman, son of original director Ivan Reitman. Reitman’s Ghostbusters sequel was confirmed at the start of the year and will be set in the original Ghostbusters universe rather than the rebooted one. The film will star a teenaged cast including Finn Wolfhard of Stranger Things fame and is set to start filming in Canada next month.

The news of Reitman’s upcoming sequel didn’t go down to well with the cast and crew of the female-fronted Ghostbusters reboot released in 2016. Star Leslie Jones took to Twitter to call the sequel “insulting” while director Paul Feig voiced his support for Jones and expressed his disappointment that Reitman’s sequel might mean his Ghostbusters reboot would never see a sequel. No doubt Aykroyd’s plans for a Ghostbusters prequel will ruffle their feathers even more.

Related: Why Ghostbusters 3 Took 31 Years To Make

In an interview with Calgary’s 660 City News, Aykroyd confirmed he’d written a script for a film set in the 1960s that focuses on Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler and Ray Stantz in their teenage years in high school - kind of like a Ghostbusters origin story, if you will. Aykroyd has already set his sights on Reitman to direct the prequel and hopes it could translate into a TV show somewhere down the line too:

"I’ve written “Ghostbusters High,” where they meet in New Jersey in 1969 and we’re looking to do that as probably a glorified feature or pilot within the next maybe five years…. And it would lead to a television project and I thought of [Reitman] immediately for that. It’s on his desk but that’s years away from the current project. But it’s a neat idea for a prequel. Imagine casting the three characters as teenagers!”

As Aykroyd states, any Ghostbusters sequel that may come to be won’t be happening for a good while yet. Moreover, it’s likely that any future original universe Ghostbusters films or shows will depend on the success of Reitman’s forthcoming sequel. Nevertheless, Aykroyd has big plans for the franchise. He added:

“We have other stuff after the Jason Reitman-helmed movie. We have at least one or two other concepts for the Ghostbusters and then we’ll look at doing the prequel, which will be a perfect button on all we’ve done up to that point.”

Given that fan reaction toward Reitman’s new Ghostbusters has been mixed, it’s uncertain whether Aykroyd’s plans for a prequel will be greeted with open arms. Although, Aykroyd’s prequel does have a few things going for it. The popularity of retro-set horror shows and films like Stranger Things and IT could generate interest for a 60s-set prequel. The prequel’s teen focus makes for good continuity with Reitman’s teen-focused Ghostbusters sequel too - if it proves successful, that is. Of course, the real question is whether Aykroyd’s prequel - or Reitman’s sequel, for that matter - can ever live up to the much-loved original Ghostbusters films.

Next: Ghostbusters: Comparing The Reboot To The Original Movie

Source: 660 City News