Ghostbusters 3 Gets Closer to Our Pitch Every Day!

Earlier this month, Harold “Egon Spengler” Ramis shot a note to the Chicago Tribune confirming that Ghostbusters 3 was in development and that Bill Murray was game to be a part of the production.

Interesting in the note is that Ramis, who also co-scripted both the original and Ghostbusters 2, alludes to the possible involvement of uber-comedy filmmaker of the day, Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Superbad, Pineapple Express). In particular, Ramis writes “Judd Apatow is co-producing Year One and has made several other films for Sony, so of course the studio is hoping to tap into some of the same acting talent.”

Prior to editing our original pitch down, we had included a much more detailed opening scene aboard the U.S.S. Constitution. In it, we describe the grown Oscar Venkman (adopted son of Peter Venkman and biological son of Dana Barrett) as perhaps best played by Michael Cera.

Micheal Cera, well known for his roles in Arrested Development and Superbad, has the perfect pitch to play a dry-witted, younger Venkman, one that needs to grow into the boots of a ghostbuster. He’s an Apatow regular – and already his name is being bandied about.

I hope that any picture that develops isn’t swamped with Apatow talent, simply because this is really a New York/Second City show. Seth Rogen would fit well, but to capture the true spirit of the Ghostbusters – and if you gotta recast – I think you have to scoop from that well. Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers.

And here’s pullin’ for Tina Fey who has the attitude, the smarts and has the chutzpah to put on the proton pack.

Why haven’t they made The Breakfast Club 2?

Everyone who stands between 35 and 45 has a favorite scene from The Breakfast Club.

• Allison – The Basket Case, played by Ally Sheedy – shaking her hair to make snow, in the form of dandruff, fall on her No. 2 pencil on Desk landscape.
• Brian – The Brain, played by Anthony Michael Hall – confessing that he once tried to kill himself with a flare gun, and then getting high and telling us that “chicks can’t hold dey smoke.”
• Every clash between Andrew – The Athlete, played by Emilio Estevez – and Bender – The Criminal, played by Judd Nelson. And every clash Bender instigates.
• And, of course, The Princess – Claire – played by Molly Ringwald. I know the scene you’re thinking of, and of course I’m thinking of it, too. But beyond that, I was always partial to the scene where Claire and Allison share a friendly moment. Why? Because, as Claire says to Allison, “you’re letting me.”

So, in the 23 years since The Breakfast Club unspooled in theaters, why haven’t these five characters gotten back together?

It’s the same old story. Because no one can agree on anything.

John Hughes, the writer/producer/director, said no way in 1999, because the characters “would never come back together again” and that there “isn’t anything in their lives after high school relevant to that day.”

I beg to differ, and you’ll find that in my next post.

Earlier in this decade, there seemed to be some movement for a sequel, but that fell through again. Why, is anyone’s guess.

And then there’s the question of whether there should be a sequel. I’m all for films staying put without generating a sequel, regardless of success. That’s why you’ll never see a post for Forrest Gump 2 on these pages.

But some stories and characters demand re-visitation. The members of The Breakfast Club are five of them.

For those of us in high school when The Breakfast Club debuted – well, we related to these characters. We knew them, were friends with them, and were them. And like our flesh and blood classmates, we want to know what happened to them after graduation.

How does that usually come about?

High school reunions, of course.

In 1999, Hughes was quoted as saying there’s nothing relevant to high school that would get those five characters in the same room again.

Obviously he never went to any of his high school reunions.

Which leads us to: The Breakfast Club: Reunion.

The Breakfast Club: Reunion

Twenty-five years after serving time in the sprawling library of Shermer High School, our friends – The Brain, The Basket Case, The Athlete, The Criminal and The Princess – return to Shermer for their 25^th High School Reunion.

When we meet them, they seem terribly familiar, but are so different than the kids we knew in 1985.

• Brian Johnson works as a sports agent at a high-powered firm in downtown Chicago. He represents some of the top athletes in the world – and is in incredible shape himself. No longer The Brain, he has turned 180 degrees, having fought against everyone’s perception of him. In fact, he’s become The A—hole.
• Andrew Clark is out-of-shape and single again, after a lengthy divorce. A financial consultant at a mid-sized bank in Philadelphia, Andrew has learned to drown his sorrows in Scotch and soda. He’s no longer The Athlete. He’s the Sad Drunk.
• Allison Reynolds is drop-dead gorgeous. A soccer mom and marathoner, Allison got her act together in college – and got herself a fine arts degree – and now owns a hip gallery downtown. She’s two kids, a successful husband, and a figure to die for. She’s no longer the Basket Case, she’s the Who Is That Girl?
• John Bender calls Shermer High School home. He’s the popular shop teacher, in line to get his masters and maybe move in to administration. He feels good about himself, but his past – and his relationship with his father – have made his ego fragile. Andrew and Brian will challenge that ego, as they determine that he’s a sell-out and fraud. He’s no longer The Criminal, he’s The Man.
• Claire Standish hasn’t changed. She works for her mother’s business and still has the world handed to her on a silver platter. But she’s bored. Dreadfully bored. And fills the nooks and crannies of her life with risks and instant gratification. She’s still The Princess – but you’d best add Dangerous to that name. She works hard to fulfill a long-time fantasy: seeing what John Bender’s got under his hood.

While The Breakfast Club followed our friends throughout the course of a Saturday morning and mid-day, The Breakfast Club Reunion traipses through a Saturday night and dawn. Our friends are bubbling about in mid-life crisis – save for the two who we thought would crash and burn the worst.

The tables are turned as Bender schools his old Club mates on the finer points of the simple life, and Allison teaches us how to save the memories, but leave high school far behind.

Why Haven’t They Made Major League IV?

I can hear his voice ringing in my ears -- the voice of famed Cleveland Indians announcer Harry Doyle as the Tribe score the winning run in a one-game playoff against those wretched New York Yankees and secure a spot in the American League Championship Series: "The Indians win it! The Indians win it! Oh my god, the Indians win it!"

Of course, that win was all celluloid fun -- the final frames of the film Major League – which portrayed a fictional Indians ball club taking on a made-for-the-movies Yankee line-up.

This year’s version of the Indians (eight games out of first and 16 from a Wild Card berth) is nothing like last year’s, when the Tribe whipped the true-to-life, larger-than-life New York Yankees in the play-offs, a series everyone thought the Tribe would lose. That team brought back memories of sitting in my local multiplex (six screens back then, and no stadium seating – eek!) and cheering on the likes of Jake Taylor, Rick Vaughn and Willie “Mays” Hayes.

And it’s seasons like these that make me dig through the DVD collection to watch the movie version win it all – all over again. Of course I follow that up with the passable Major League II and the dismal Major League: Back to the Minors. Dismal in part because the series shifts away from Cleveland to the Minnesota Twins – and we can’t have that, right?

So why haven’t they extended the franchise and made Major League 4?

It could be that Major League: BTTM made $3 million, compared to Major League II’s $30 million and Major League’s $50 million. Plus, the story line was a little stale – and the shift from the Indians to the Twins may have alienated some fans. (Why the shift? Possibly because the Indians made it to the World Series in 1995, a year after Major League II debuted, thus negating their underdog status.)

Still, there’s no reason to go back to this well. And there’s actually one really good reason to do so.

Charlie Sheen.

Sheen played the lovable rebel Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn in both Major Leagues I and II and could be considered the heart and soul of the franchise. I could even wax philosophic with regard to Rick being the “hero” in Campbell’s “hero’s journey,” with Tom Berenger’s Jake Taylor his wise mentor. But that’s neither hither nor thither.

By the time Major League: BTTM debuted in 1998, Sheen was hitting bottom, having accidentally overdosed and landing on famed madam Heidi Fleiss’ client list.

He quickly turned it around, eventually playing a caricature of himself on the ABC sit-com Spin City, replacing Michael J. Fox. Sheen won rave reviews for his TV series debut, and when Spin City folded in 2002 (Sheen played Charlie Crawford and garnered a Golden Globe for his efforts), a new series was written with him in mind: CBS’s hit show Two and a Half Men.

His popularity renewed and his comedy chops bona fide, this is the perfect time for Charlie to return to one the film franchise that helped him make his mark.

My pitch, pun intended:

Major League IV

Retired flame thrower Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn is tapped to coach the United States team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He quickly discovers that he’s more of a figurehead than a real coach, as his all-star, high-priced, celebrity seeking line-up does only what they want, when they want, and care only about not getting hurt and shoring up their off-season deals.

Repulsed by this turn of events, and cajoled during a one-night bender with former teammate Jake Taylor, Vaughn sends his lineup packing. Faced with one-week to put together another team – and threatened with legal action and a life-time ban by the Commissioner of Baseball – Vaughn convinces Taylor to help him recruit whoever they can, wherever they can.

The reformed team includes members of Indians teams past (Willie “Mays” Hayes, Pedro Cerrano) and new recruits from the far reaches of the country. Ragtag as they come, they’ll have to get behind Vaughn and Taylor, overcome their wacky differences, if they hope to beat the World at America’s pastime.

Ghostbusters Reboot!

Not a couple weeks after posting my first (and, right now, only) “Here’s The Pitch,” Sony has announced that it’s “rebooting” Ghostbusters.

Fantastic news!

Of course, I’m going to guess that new scribes Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg (writer/producers on NBC’s The Office) won’t be following my outline. That’s just a guess.

Their Ghostbusters will feature a whole new cast, but there is word that a number of the original cast members may be involved. This could mean that an iteration of my outline might come to fruition – namely that a couple of folks (my guess is Akroyd and Ramis) will be on hand to pass the torch.

Akroyd – or more appropriately his character, Ray Stantz – is the best choice, in terms of story, to be a supporting character. Stantz is the heart of the Ghostbusters, and Akroyd’s genial smile and pat on the back will give the new ’Busters the appropriate blessing. I could even see Akroyd remaining a focal point, as the new team’s wise leader who tinkers and teaches back at Ghostbusters HQ.

And I could see room for all of the regular cast members to make an appearance. Even Bill Murray would make a cameo, I have to assume.

So who should make up the new fab four? I’m sticking with Tina Fey in the Bill Murray/Peter Venkman role. And I’d love to see her paired with Amy Poehler.

With the scribes ties to The Office, I could see John Krasinski as Oscar Venkman, the adopted son of Peter Venkman and the biological son of Sigourney Weaver’s Dana Barrett. Krasinski plays Jim on the NBC sit-com. And then there’s Rainn Wilson (Dwight Shrute on The Office). He could easily play either the mad scientist type or the crazed survivalist. Or a combination of the two.

Wow, this is exciting news!

Now that I’m almost done with my Breakfast Club 2 pitch, maybe we’ll get an announcement of that new film.