Original Ghostbusters Star Shares Praise for 2016 Reboot

Before it even landed in theaters, the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters featuring a female-led team was the target of online harassment and trolling, which ultimately soured the entire release of the movie. Original Ghostbusters star Dan Aykroyd both had a cameo in the movie and also served as a producer, with the actor recently reflecting on how he not only still supports the project, but admitted that he could have played a more vocal factor in the film’s budget. While the movie earned promising critical reactions and a positive box office haul, its large budget seemingly prevented the movie from earning a follow-up.

“I liked the movie [director] Paul Feig made with those spectacular women,” Aykroyd shared with PEOPLE. “I was mad at them at the time because I was supposed to be a producer on there and I didn’t do my job and I didn’t argue about costs. And it cost perhaps more than it should, and they all do. All these movies do.”

He continued, “But boy, I liked that film … I thought that the villain at the end was great. I loved so much of it. And of course, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones and Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, you’re never going to do better than that. So I go on the record as saying I’m so proud to have been able to license that movie and have a hand and have a part in it, and I’m fully supportive of it, and I don’t besmirch it at all. I think it works really great amongst all the ones that have been made.”

While the 2016 reboot failed to earned a continuation, Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021 helped bring the franchise back from the dead, serving as a continuation of the first two movies and featuring appearances by Aykroyd and other original stars. That film earned a sequel earlier this year with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, while an animated Ghostbusters series is being developed for Netflix.

“I still have these two very active offices to manage, Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters,” Aykrold admitted of his cinematic duties. “I thought I could retire five years ago, but it hasn’t worked out that way. That’s okay. I’m grateful for the privilege to keep going.”

A sequel to Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has yet to be announced.

What do you think about the actor’s comments? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!