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?

Disney has been releasing a number of sequels to animated films directly to video, so it should be no surprise that Brother Bear 2 is next on the list, with an announced release date of August 29. The original Brother Bear did low box-office business for a Disney animated film -- $85 million -- but I suspect its real money was made on DVD.

Brother Bear included an unusual feature on its DVD that definitely boosted adult rentals and sales: a commentary track performed by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis as the moose characters from the 2003 film, in a manner quite similar to their Doug and Bob McKenzie routine from SCTV. (If you don't know who these guys are, you might want to rent Strange Brew.) I would never have watched this movie myself without the commentary track. At times, the commentary bordered on the subversive (for Disney, anyway), with the moose likening the spirit totem in the film to a souvenir from a Canadian airport, and noting that chipmunks always seem to appear just before something dangerous occurs. Disney is obviously aware that these two minor characters and their hilarious commentary track had something to do with Brother Bear's DVD success: not only are Moranis and Thomas back in the sequel, but they're joined by two more moose, played by SCTV alumni Andrea Martin and Catherine O'Hara. If all four do a commentary track, this may appear on my own rental list.