10 Franchises Other Than Star Wars That Will Return... Whether You Like It Or Not

5. Ghostbusters

Here we are in 2014 and Harold Ramis has sadly passed away, Bill Murray still isn't involved and Dan Aykroyd continues to try for-better-or-worse to make Ghostbusters 3 a reality. Of all the properties on the list Ghostbusters is the one that tends to inspire the most fear. For those that had the misfortune to witness it: Blues Brothers 2000 still looms as a spectre of how not to revisit a beloved film - especially when one of the main stars is no longer with us - and the fact that one of the prime creative forces behind that venture also holds the key to the future of Ghostbusters is a legitimate concern. As far as franchises go, Ghostbusters is a woefully under-explored universe, with the potential to open up to a much wider arena. One avenue would be to draw inspiration from Jurassic Park or something like Grant Morrison's Batman Inc, and introduce a scenario that would see an upturn in paranormal activity leading to a boom-time for the on-screen Ghostbusters franchise and consequently the cinematic franchise. This surge in hauntings and ghost sightings could see Ghostbusters franchisees pop-up all over the place, and shift the focus from New York. This would differentiate the new films from the old and develop the established characters in an intriguing way, whilst seeding the new characters in a way that supports the story, and doesn't just take the new-Ghostbusters-mentored by the old-Ghostbusters angle. Seeing Stantz and Venkman as CEO's with very different approaches to the company and finding themselves drawn back to the shop floor would be far more intriguing prospect than the "let's get the band back together and bring the kids" storylines that have been hinted at so far. This Ghostbusters Inc. idea doesn't entirely depend upon Murray's return and could be easily adapted to not include him but if the rumours of Ruben Fleischer possibly directing come true, then the possibility of Murray's return would seem all the more likely.