Dan Aykroyd confirms he will be returning for 'Ghostbusters 3' and Bill Murray could be joining him

Dan Aykroyd has confirmed he will star in the next Ghostbusters movie - and he hopes Bill Murray will join him.

Aykroyd, together with Murray, and Ernie Hudson and the late Harold Ramis, formed the titular quartet of ghost-catchers in the 1984 original film Ghostbusters and 1989 follow-up Ghostbusters II.

Plans for another sequel have been on the table for years with Aykroyd updating fans last November that the project was looking likely.

Fans anticipation grew further in January, when it was announced Jason Reitman would direct and co-write a sequel following on from the first two movies, titled Ghostbusters 2020.

Now Aykroyd has confirmed his long-rumoured return to the role of Ray Stantz during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

"Ivan Reitman's son Jason has written a new movie, called — well, it's gonna be Ghostbusters, the third movie," he explained.

"It'll be all or most of the original people. And then young stars […] It's gonna be great.

"I'm so excited about it, and it's just wonderful to be able to [go] back and revisit that. I don't do the pictures anymore much, and I'm in that one."

Aykroyd has previously said he was "hoping" Bill Murray would also sign-on to once again play Dr. Peter Venkman, and Reitman confirmed the Groundhog Day and Lost in Translation star has read the new script.

Sigourney Weaver has also confirmed she will reprise her role as Dana Barrett, and Hudson and fellow co-star from the original movies, Annie Potts, have hinted they will also be involved.

In June it was announced Paul Rudd would join the cast with the Ant-Man star saying: "I can't wait to join the cast this fall for Ghostbusters. In fact, I'm sliming myself right now."

This was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.