Will there be something strange in your neighbourhood?
Original Ghostbuster Ernie Hudson says Ireland could feature as a location for future f ilms in the franchise
AN original cast member and the director of the latest Ghostbusters movie have both spoken of their desire to bring the blockbuster franchise to Ireland.
Ernie Hudson – who played Winston in the original two films and the reboot sequels Afterlife and Frozen Empire – revealed he and his wife are keen to return to Ireland after they fell in love
‘I’m sure you have ghost stories happening here’
with the country during a stay 10 years ago.
Hudson, who was one of the celebrity guests at the Dublin Comic Con event in 2014, said: ‘I’d love to come back. I had such a wonderful time. And I will say, the people there were the nicest. The best sense of humour, honestly. I mean, everybody [was lovely]. I had a great time.
‘My wife and I came and she still talks about it all the time. So we’re looking forward to coming back.
‘People ask me all the time, “How do I see the Ghostbusters franchise moving [on]?” I’d love to see it expand now beyond New York to places like Ireland because I’m sure you have your share of ghost stories happening there.’
And Hudson isn’t the only one keen to bring the franchise to our shores. Director Gil Kenan, who also co-wrote Ghostbusters Afterlife with Jason Reitman and whose wife has ‘deep Irish roots’, said he would love to film here.
Kenan said: ‘I love Irish ghost stories. Actually, I bought my daughter a book of Irish ghost stories when she was a kid growing up.
‘Through my wife, who I have now been with for over 20 years, she and her family have deep Irish roots. And so we’ve visited the island, we’ve explored some of the extraordinary raw landscapes and, we even lived in the north of the country while making a film way back in 2007.
‘We just have, like, an unbelievable love for Ireland, and we would love to be able to develop a Ghostbusters story that takes place there.’
Kenan admits he is ‘actually feeling a little resentful’ he could not travel to Ireland ‘as part of the journey of promoting this film’.
The director added: ‘I would absolutely love to visit the Irish Ghostbusters fans. Because I do think that it’s so important for these local communities of Ghostbusters fans to feel like they’re part of the larger, incredible quilt of Ghostbusters fan groups across the globe.
‘I am in touch with a lot of them and I’ve been lucky enough to meet them wherever I go all over the world.
‘I know people say that their fans [of the franchises] that they’re involved with are the best fans. I think it’s actually been scientifically proven that Ghostbusters fans are the best in the world. And they’re certainly the nicest, most sympathetic, most kind of generous with each other, and with the filmmakers, of any group I’ve ever encountered. We’re lucky to have each and every one of them.’
And 40 years after he first suited up to play Winston in the original Ghostbusters movie, it’s clear Ernie Hudson has lost none of his enthusiasm for the role.
Paraphrasing a line from Neil Cicierega’s famous soundtrack, he laughs: ‘Bustin’ makes you feel real good!’