Harold Ramis is the comedy writer and director everyone's cribbed from, from Sandler to Apatow. After leaving "Second City TV," Ramis went on to write, direct, and occasionally star in comedic touchstones like Animal House, Caddyshack, Stripes, Groundhog Day, and of course, Ghostbusters, which have starred a slew of loveable losers fighting to get their sh*t together in the army, on the golf course, or in the middle of a war with supernatural beings. After taking a few years off, Ramis is taking it back to the beginning with this summer's Year One, which stars Jack Black and Michael Cera as loveable loser cavemen who, when Black's Zed accidentally burns down the village, find themselves in the middle of a very familiar holy war. Read on and find out what the big daddy of buddy movies had to say about evolution and self-improvement, male full frontal nudity and the lack thereof, and what the heck is up with Ghostbusters 3.

Year One opens nationwide this Friday, June 19th.

Cinematical: How much more stressful is it to deal with marketing a summer blockbuster and competing with the other movies that are out?

Harold Ramis: You know, it's the same level of stress every time you make a movie, because you've pinned all your hopes and dreams on it and you've fantasized what success will be like, but at the time you can't escape fantasizing what failure will be like. [laughs]

I conceived this movie on a big scale, to do a Biblical epic comedy. I knew it was ambitious and when the studio said "Yes, we'll do it," and it became real, I thought, "Oh my God!" [laughs] It's one thing to fail small, but to make a big movie that doesn't work is so risky.

Rocky, Rambo, Indy, all of the old icons are making their way to the big screen, and as we know, our favorite ghostbusters are hoping to head in that same direction. But rather than just jumping into the action, we learned back in March that this Ghostbusters sequel would have the old pros handing over the reigns and mentoring a new batch of ghost fighters. Now if Dan Aykroyd has his say, this will mean creating a larger new core team that will finally increase the female ghost-fighting power.

While talking with the LA Times about the particulars of the third film (he says Sigourney Weaver is in, as are the ectoplasmic specialists, and that he wants Harold Ramis to direct), Aykroyd said that he's pulling for a "new generation" ghostbusting team. This one would have five members, at least a few of whom are women. Specifically, he's hoping for Alyssa Milano (who lent her voice to the new game), and Dollhouse star Eliza Dushku. "I think they're amazing."

I get the feeling that they're trying to go for a more sleek ghosbusting feel, rather than simple comedy. Neither actress is a big name in the world of laughs, and both have their feet firmly planted in the supernatural fighting biz. So this becomes a bittersweet yay: women are entering the flock, but will we see some of that classic comedy go out the window as the story gets modernized? I like it when things get a little more slick, but please -- not too slick.

Are these the two women you'd like to see fighting the ghosts? Or, would you wish for a more comedic bent with someone like, say, Tina Fey? Who should be the lady ghostbusters?

It's one of those projects folks are approaching very carefully as if it were a bomb ready to go off. All of these guys -- Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Ivan Reitman -- they know that if they're going to bring this franchise back, it'll have to be on their terms and it'll have to only happen if the script is stellar. It's been 20 years since the last Ghostbusters movie, and while a lot of us would certainly welcome another installment, we know what happened to Indiana Jones after 19 years away ... so, yeah, take your time, boys.

MTV recently got the chance to ask Harold Ramis for a status update on the sequel, and he confirmed that the old cast (Ramis, Murray, Aykroyd and probably Hudson) would be returning, but ... as Ramis notes, "We're all going to be in it in different kinds of roles. We're going to be the sage mentors. There are going to be young Ghostbusters." Yup, that confirms the mentor angle and the younger Ghostbusters -- who may or may not come from the Apatowverse -- but it's early and things can change; Ramis later adds that he's still waiting to see a first draft of the script, from Office (and Year One) writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, who are consulting with Ramis, Reitman and Aykroyd as they go. As far as who'll direct the thing, Ramis said he and Reitman are kinda hoping "someone else will do it." Personally, I have a feeling it'll be either Ramis or Reitman who ends up helming, but I guess we'll see.

Are you excited for this version of Ghostbusters, with older, familiar faces mentoring the new recruits?

Look, I'm thinking the same thing you are: Here comes Hollywood to screw up another one of our beloved franchises by re-imagining it for this new, hip generation. Whenever they try to mess with nostalgia, it always comes back to bite them in the ass -- but could things be different with a franchise like Ghostbusters, which gave us two films ... and, let's admit it, only one real classic? Here are five ways to make a cool Ghostbusters sequel ...

1. Get the Apatow crew involved

When you look back at the original Ghostbusters, you see names like Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis and Ivan Reitman. Back in 1984, these were the folks who made us really laugh. These were the young-ish voices of the time; the guys you wanted to pay money to see because you knew they'd be worth it. Today, the same can be said for guys like Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Steve Carell, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Craig Robinson. At least a few of those names should show up in the sequel in order for it to have a really good shot of succeeding with fans.

2. Get a director who understands the franchise (ie: Harold Ramis or Ivan Reitman)

While there's a very good chance we'll end up seeing Judd Apatow's name tossed around as producer (no way he's directing this), the best way to hold on to what we love about Ghostbusters is to bring on a man who was there for the first two and knows what, exactly, makes this franchise work. Ramis has been working with the Apatow clan a lot lately (directing Year One, appeared in both Knocked Up and Walk Hard), and is perfectly capable of directing and acting in a film (Hello Egon cameo!). He'd by my choice for this, and, I'm sure, will also lend his voice to the script.

For awhile now -- and ever since it was announced there would be a new Ghostbusters video game -- those Ghostbusters live-action sequel rumors have been all over the place. The latest, shoveled out through Dread Central last week, claimed that the sequel was going forward -- with all four original Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis) returning -- along with "Seth Rogen and the crew from The 40 Year Old Virgin." Yes, word on the street had it that the new ghost hunters would be played by Rogen, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Romany Malco.

Hey, as a fan of all those dudes, I personally think it's a pretty good idea. Unfortunately, Rogen knows nothing about the so-called collaboration. I asked him about it earlier today during the Pineapple Express NY press day, and it kinda took him by surprise. "Really? That's f**king rad! No one's told me about it, you're the first one. You got a script? [laughter] "Yeah, no -- are they actually remaking Ghostbusters? Sounds fun, though -- I'm psyched about it ... but are you sure I'm not playing Slimer?" Rogen joked, following that up with his trademark deep, cough-like laugh.

So, sorry Ghostbusters fans -- at least you have the video game to look forward to. And, who knows, enough people get onboard with the idea and maybe this wild rumor will eventually become reality. Question is, would you want it to?

I'm sure you've all heard about the upcoming Ghostbusters video game (we've talked about it here and here), and how this was as close as we were going to get to a Ghostbusters III since, well, it was an all new story and all four Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson) were reprising their roles (in voice form) for the game. Not only that, but Annie Potts, William Atherton and Brian Doyle-Murray lent their voices too. Sadly, both Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis did not join the party. The script for the game was written by Ramis and Aykroyd (who wrote both Ghostbusters live-action movies), and, well, a lot of your favorite ghosts (like Slimer, Gozer, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and Vigo) will make an appearance, along with a brand new enemy.

All that being said, the game's trailer can be seen up top -- and it features that totally retro '80s trailer voice with scenes from the live-action movies alongside those same scenes in the video game. Very cool stuff. The game itself (which I believe hits stores on October 14th) looks pretty damn cool, and if this is the only sequel we're going to get, then, well, I'm game. How about you?

[via Spout]

Cinematical was just handed this exclusive poster for the film War, Inc. (click on the image to enlarge), starring John Cusack, Hilary Duff, Marisa Tomei, Joan Cusack, Dan Aykroyd and Ben Kingsley. Now is that one helluva cast, or is that one helluva cast? Word has it this one is in the vein of Grosse Point Blank, which was another fun little flick starring the male Cusack. From the synopsis: "War, Inc. is a a political satire set in Turaqistan, a country occupied by an American private corporation run by a former US Vice-President (Dan Akroyd). In an effort to monopolize the opportunities the war-torn nation offers, the corporation's CEO hires a troubled hit man, played by John Cusack, to kill a Middle East oil minister. Now, struggling with his own growing demons, the assassin must pose as the corporation's Trade Show Producer in order to pull off this latest hit, while maintaining his cover by organizing the high-profile wedding of Yonica Babyyeah (Hilary Duff) an outrageous Middle Eastern pop star, and keeping a sexy left wing reporter (Marisa Tomei) in check."

War, Inc. arrives in theaters (in limited release) on May 23.

In a forthcoming interview with Premiere conducted by yours truly, Sigourney Weaver talks at length about all her various franchises, and even has a few words to say about the recently resurrected hoopla over a possible Ghostbusters III. When I pointed out that the film industry's renewed focus on next-gen 3D imagery and CG-rendered worlds means that perhaps a third Ghostbusters adventure is still feasible, Weaver looked at me a bit like I had just given her a toothache. She then took a big breath and said "Well, I just saw Ivan Reitman at this dinner, this lunch for his son, and, ummm, there's no way." Perhaps responding to the look of sadness on my face, she quickly added "You could 3D Ghostbusters. You could pay for that. I think they're fantastic movies for that time, and I think, if anything, Be Kind, Rewind is kind of a Ghostbusters for this time." Since I haven't seen Be Kind, Rewind, I have no clue what that last part is supposed to mean. Does Slimer make an appearance in Be Kind, Rewind or something?

It's not like any of this is a great surprise -- to my knowledge, Weaver has never expressed any enthusiasm for returning to the franchise and rumor has it she declined to participate in the upcoming video game that will feature voices from the main Ghostbusters and will cannibalize Dan Aykroyd's never-in-development Ghostbusters III: Ghostbusters Go to Hell script. Most of the recent GIII talk stems from Ernie Hudson, who was quoted as saying that he hoped the success of that particular game would renew interest in creating a third film, and that Ramis and Aykroyd still wanted a third film, too. That would be fine with me as long as it starts with a fresh concept, as opposed to the whole 'Manhellton' crap. I've heard Aykroyd describe his 'hell' script at length -- to a radio DJ on a country music station, no less -- and, frankly, it's the opposite of impressive. It sounds like a recipe for a studio-killing flop with a $300 million budget. But with Murray and Weaver and (apparently) Ivan Reitman not even down for a third go-round, don't hold your breath. To read the interview, which mostly centers on Avatar, check out Premiere.com on Thursday.

The boys are officially back ... but, sadly, they'll only be in videogame form for now. According to Variety, Vivendi Games has struck a deal to turn Ghostbusters into a videogame franchise, with the first title set to hit streets in the fall of 2008. All four Ghostbusters -- Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis -- have signed off their voice and likeness rights, while Aykroyd and Ramis will write a story for the game that takes place in the early '90s, following Ghostbusters II. For fans of the movie franchise (and, seriously, who's not a fan?), this could potentially be very cool. Aykroyd has been trying to get a Ghostbusters III off the ground for a long time now; at one point, he was considering a CGI flick to continue the story without having to ask a bunch of old timers to strap on the proton packs for another live-action go-round.

With a videogame version, we'll still see the story Aykroyd had planned for a third installment (I believe one version involved NYC opening up to reveal a hell-ish underground), only we'll get to play along too. Apart from the four original cast members, William Atherton, Brian Doyle and Annie Potts will also be involved. No word on Rick Moranis or Sigourney Weaver just yet. I know some of you will be bummed out by this, but I'm totally up for it -- so long as they create a cool multi-player gaming experience. Just last night, my friend and I were talking about how much fun those old multi-player games were; the kind where you and a friend could sit down in the same space, control different characters and fight your way through a universe together. The last great multi-player game, in my opinion, was Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. If they can create something on par with that (only add a whole lot of Bill Murray dialogue), then they've already sold one game ... to me. What do you think?

Alec Baldwin just can't catch a break lately. Monika told you about the status of his directorial debut back in January and now we're finally starting to hear more about its release. Trouble is, Mr. Baldwin doesn't want you to see the thing! In addition to directing, Baldwin produced and starred in the film, an update of The Devil and Daniel Webster. The movie wrapped in 2001, and has experienced nothing but problems since. It will finally be released this Friday, and oh dear, that's -- dun dun duh! -- Friday the 13th! If you're trying to find the film at your local multiplex, good luck. It is only being released in six cities (Las Vegas, Rochester, Fort Myers, Columbus, Albuquerque and Santa Fe), and you'll have to look for it under its new title: Shortcut to Happiness. Oh, and Baldwin's name won't even be listed as director or producer. It has been removed and replaced with an "Alan Smithee" -- style fake name -- Harry Kirkpatrick.

Despite Baldwin's many talents and a solid cast that includes Anthony Hopkins as Daniel Webster, Jennifer Love Hewitt as The Devil (?), Kim Cattrall, Dan Aykroyd and Jason Patric, the film has been called "one of the greatest train wrecks of all time." Where did it all go wrong? Apparently producers didn't like the more serious cut Baldwin submitted, and they recut the film into a pure comedy. Baldwin was naturally upset. To make matters worse, two of the films investors became entangled in legal woes after they were investigated for bank fraud. On top of all that, one of Baldwin's producing partners sued him for her cut. A source close to Baldwin tells the New York Post: "Alec doesn't recommend unrecognizable films to his fans. This is not an Alec Baldwin film. He's in the movie but he has nothing to do with it. His name was taken off as producer and director six years ago, but he couldn't get it taken off as an actor." So, I have to ask ... if any of you live in one of the six cities listed above and don't mind taking one for the team -- would you check it out and tell us if it's as bad as it sounds?