GhostBusters

Ah, synchronicity. Sometimes things just happen, and for actor William Atherton, today is one of those days. First he's recognized by Scott Weinberg in Cinematical's "Villains We Love" feature for his memorable performances as some of cinema's greatest pricks. Then, Erik Davis brought us the news today that Atherton is probably joining the cast of Lost.

Now, figures.com is showing off the first ever Walter Peck toy -- the officious douche Atherton played in the 1984 film Ghostbusters. The toy is part of Art Asylum's long-running Mini-Mates line, and the latest Ghostbuster assortment of Mini-Mates includes Atherton's Peck, Janine Melnitz (played in the film by Annie Potts), and Ghostbusters Egon and Winston, both covered in Stay Puft marshmallow fall-out. The figures (Series 3) will be released Spring of 2010.

Congratulations, William Atherton, on your very special surprise day!

Just when you thought you couldn't anticipate the final season of Lost any more than you do now comes word that one of the greatest prick-ish character actors of all time has joined the cast in some capacity. Yes, folks, the great William Atherton has signed up for a part ... if Carlton Cuse's Twitter is to be believed. The Lost writer and executive producer recently tweeted the following cryptic message:

"Damon and I are die hard fans of this impeckable actor who keeps the barr high and just signed to guest star on the show. Life is good!"

So, yeah, not too hard to figure out. Atherton starred in both Die Hard and Die Hard 2, played Walter Peck in Ghostbusters and a character named Dr. Barr on Desperate Housewives. Part of me loves how these Lost-ies can't make an announcement without it being some sort of riddle or cryptic message, while the other part just wants them to come right out and say it sometimes. Well, regardless, this is a very cool addition to the series, and I truly hope they have him playing some slimeball because that's where Atherton has always shined. Fingers crossed. The final season premieres in January.

For more on William Atherton, check out today's Villains We Love piece over on Cinematical.

Though he probably won't be able to use this for his American Idol audition, Matt Mulholland definitely deserves some props for spending way too much time putting together this multi-track music video featuring several versions of Matt all coming together in harmony during a dude-all-alone-in-his-room performance of Ray Parker Jr.'s theme from Ghostbusters. Congrats Matt! While this may not score you a date with that cute girl from math class who you stalk after school by hacking into her Facebook account and sending all her male friends nasty, foul-mouthed messages about what it looks like when a ghost goes to the bathroom, your video is totally worthy of a plug on SciFi Squad.

Watch Matt rock it out after the jump.

Yesterday we brought word from Bill Murray in London promoting Fantastic Mr. Fox, and when asked about Ghostbusters 3, the actor clearly said that until he sees a script, there's no Ghostbusters 3. He followed that up by pretty much saying that unless the script kills, he won't be suiting up to kill more ghosts anytime soon. But what about the rest of the cast, most notably Dan Aykroyd, who's been the one leading this Ghostbusters revival? Can he give us a more definitive status on the project?

Well, kind of. In Toronto promoting his father's new book, A History of Ghosts, Aykroyd was asked during a Q&A for a status update on Ghostbusters 3 ... and, basically, according to Aykroyd they have a script, but the studio has yet to greenlight it. And until he has that coveted production number, signaling the go-ahead, then Ghostbusters 3 is nothing but a ghost itself. The site reporting this, HoundsTV, goes on to say that Aykroyd feels the recession is playing a major factor in not securing funding, though he doesn't say that in the video and I think that's bulls*it (excuse my language).

The studio knows how big this film could be, and they know how massive the built-in audience is. The only thing that could prevent this project from moving forward is the script, which I assume is in the studio's hands as we speak. Of course we'll continue to update you as news pours in. In the meantime, watch Aykroyd's remarks after the jump.

With Fantastic Mr. Fox making the press rounds at the London International Film Festival, it was only a matter of time before someone bugged Bill Murray (who voices Badger in the stop-motion film) about his participation in Ghostbusters 3. Last time we heard anything on the Ghostbusters front, it was being reported that Ghost Busters and Ghostbusters II helmer Ivan Reitman was indeed attached to direct (though he hadn't actually decided whether or not to go through with it), and most of the original cast (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver) was set to return alongside some "new recruits".

So, sure, it's all great to hear when you see this sort of stuff splashed across the internet, but it's always best to go right to the source to see just what's going on right this second. When asked about the third installment in London, Murray waved it off and basically said that his participation depends solely on a script he hasn't seen nor read yet. The actor also spoke a little about sequels in general, saying (in so many words) that Ghostbusters II was definitely not as good as the first one, which is one reason why he's so hesitant to give it another go.

Says Murray: "I'll believe it when I see it. I saw a guy talking about the end of the world a couple years ago, and I still haven't seen that either -- so I'm not going to believe the Ghostbusters story until I see it."

Watch the Bill Murray/Ghostbusters 3 interview after the jump

(Friday Find is a new feature on SciFi Squad where every Friday we'll find you something weird, random and probably pretty awesome to add to your sci-fi collection.)

Credit goes out to the folks designing these movie-related t-shirts because they keep getting more random by the bundle. Here's one for the Ghostbuster fan in your household -- or perhaps I should say, the Gozer the Gozerian fan. Gozer, however, goes by many names -- including Gozer the Gozerian, Gozer the Destructor, Volguus Zildrohar, Gozer the Traveler and Lord of the Sebouillia. Which Gozer are you?

The t-shirt was designed by absinthetic and you can snag it for $18 at Etsy.

[via SuperPunch]

I'm not sure if you can find all that stuff at Best Buy, but I'm positive one of their Geek Squad dudes can point you in the right direction. Just don't go pointing that at us once it's complete.

(Oh, and though it doesn't state it specifically, I'd keep this away from small children and that friend of yours whose hardcore Bill Murray obsession is just a tad on the creepy side.) Larger image below.



[via Topless Robot]

(What if Ghostbusters was made in 1954, and the 1980s Ghostbusters was simply a remake? What would the original look like? Well, some fan decided to give it a go and create an old black-and-white version, and the thing is pretty damn fun. Here's Jessica Barnes reporting from Cinematical)

Well, usually this works the other way around, but for once, a modern film is getting a classic update...at least when it comes to the trailer, anyway. This time, a dedicated fan by the name of whoiseyevan has made a trailer for the Ghostbusters movie that could have been...if it had been made in 1954. Taking over the roles made famous by Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, and Bill Murray are crooner Dean Martin as Dr. Ray Stantz (Aykroyd), Fred McMurray as Dr. Egon Spengler (Ramis), and who else but Bob Hope could fill Murray's coveralls as the smart-a**, Dr. Venkman?

All those classic 'busting' touches are there, which is probably what made this fan-trailer such a success. Then again, I might be biased because they managed to work in one of my favourite lines from the film in one of the title cards. So even if you aren't impressed with the result, you have to hand it to whoiseyevan and his knowledge of spook and spectre movies from the 40s and 50s. Heck, he's even got a line of dialogue with Martin calling himself a Ghostbuster! Now that's what I call a happy coincidence.

After the jump: Ghostbusters 1954 Vs Ghostbusters 1984...

(On a personal note, that thing is awesome. Here's Monika Bartyzel reporting for Cinematical)

Forget saving money in this bad economy. Why not go for broke and drive around in the style of those infamous Ghostbusters 25 years after the first hit theaters?

Production Weekly's Twitter pointed to a car auction at eBay for an Ecto-1 ride. Not just any vehicle -- one from Universal Studios. Bidding has ended for the item, but even though the highest bid is ranked at the pricey $45,100.00, the reserve has not been met, so this puppy could go back onto the market. The 1959 Caddy is in a museum right now, and I'd surmise that that's the only place for it -- save for a few very special and slow rides around the block. Expensive, one-of-a-kind cars do not make for relaxing rides. The horror of getting keyed, dinged, or crashed is surely scarier than any old ghost.

Read the rest at Cinematical

Welcome to Captain's Log -- your (semi) daily round-up of sci-fi randomness from around the web. Here's what's happening today:

- Director Steven Norrington says he's returning to Marvel's Blade franchise for a possible prequel film starring Stephen Dorff as Frost, the big bad vamp from the original movie.

- Y: The Last Man writer Brian K. Vaughan is leaving Lost. Vaughan has been with the show since season three, helping to develop it's vast mythology and it's character's taste for geeky pop culture. What's the comic book writer's next project? Roundtable, a film described as a twist on the King Arthur legend.

- Is there a Twilight vampire baby on the way? MTV U.K. says Kristen Stewart might be pregnant with Robert Pattinson's (probably) pasty child.

More sci-fi awesomeness after the jump.