25 Things You Didn't Know About Ghostbusters
2. The Original Script Was Set In The Future
Instead of 1980s New York, the original script - then titled Ghost Smashers, was actually set in the futuristic year of 2012, a time when the Ghost Smasher brand was long established, and made up of different competitive franchises operating all over the world.
In this version of the story, the team would travel through space and time hunting ghosts, instead of waiting for a call back in their firehouse HQ. The key members of the group would also be different - with Aykroyd opting to write three main protagonists named Stantz, Venkman and Ramsey, who would later go on to become Winston.
Ghost Smashers would also see Gozer manifest in many different forms, not just as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, but all of this stretched the budget to a dangerously high amount. In the end the need to reduce costs would lead to the many re-writes that finally became the finished movie.