Eddie Murphy in Ghostbusters?

[zoombie]

Is it true, was Eddie Murphy the first choice to play Winston in Ghostbusters?

If so, why did he turn it down? If it was a choice between GB and Beverly Hills Cop, than Eddie made the right call, if it was between GB and Best Defense, than he made a mistake.

I think the character would have been very different, the character would have been younger, and probably have a bigger role. Though had Eddie tooken the role, no chance he agrees to do the sequel. When the original was made, he was open to playing second feddle and pays his do, but the late 80's, Eddie was strictly a leading man, he was not going to be a sidekick by that time.

[Old Guy]

Is it true, was Eddie Murphy the first choice to play Winston in Ghostbusters?

Yes.


If so, why did he turn it down? If it was a choice between GB and Beverly Hills Cop, than Eddie made the right call, if it was between GB and Best Defense, than he made a mistake.

I don't know. Best Defense was released in the summer like Ghostbusters. While Beverly Hills Cop was a winter release.

[Michael24]

I'd always heard he opted to do Beverly Hills Cop instead. Would have been interesting to see him in Ghostbusters, though, but like you said he might not have been back for the sequel.

[Old Guy]

Would have been interesting to see him in Ghostbusters, though,

Nah. I've always seen Ghostbusters as a vehicle for the original SNL cast. Eddie Murphy, a second-third generation castmember would have been out of place. It's like having Will Ferrell in an Adam Sandler/David Spade/Rob Schneider movie.

[Michael24]

Nah. I've always seen Ghostbusters as a vehicle for the original SNL cast. Eddie Murphy, a second-third generation castmember would have been out of place. It's like having Will Ferrell in an Adam Sandler/David Spade/Rob Schneider movie.

Well, Harold Ramis was never even on Saturday Night Live, so I don't know how solid that theory is. (Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray were the only SNL alumni in the film.) But hey, it's not like turning down Ghostbusters was a bad thing for Murphy. Beverly Hills Cop was a huge hit for him and sent him off on a high profile career. :)

[zoombie]

I'd always heard he opted to do Beverly Hills Cop instead. Would have been interesting to see him in Ghostbusters, though, but like you said he might not have been back for the sequel.

Obviously you never heard of Trading Places, Eddie did just fine working with original SNL castmember in that film.

[Old Guy]

Harold Ramis was never even on Saturday Night Live

Ramis was on SCTV. Both SNL and SCTV consisted of mostly Chicago and Cananda's Second City actors. All these people knew each other and had worked together. So, there was a certain "we know how to work off each other" vibe to everything. Murphy wouldn't have fit into this tight group. Murphy was great in Trading Places with Dan A. cause it was just them two. But in a movie with 4 Second City actors (don't forget Rick Moranis) who have experience working with each other and the movie depending on that so much it would have thrown things off.

Like I said...it's like including Will Ferrell in an Adam Sandlers & Company movie. A movie with JUST Sandlers and Ferrell is fine, but Ferrell with the early `90s gang would throw things off.

[Michael24]

Ramis was on SCTV. Both SNL and SCTV consisted of mostly Chicago and Cananda's Second City actors. All these people knew each other and had worked together. So, there was a certain "we know how to work off each other" vibe to everything. Murphy wouldn't have fit into this tight group.

Sounds like he would have been perfect then, since Winston was supposed to be the "outsider" and Ernie Hudson did just fine in the same situation. :)


Like I said...it's like including Will Ferrell in an Adam Sandlers & Company movie. A movie with JUST Sandlers and Ferrell is fine, but Ferrell with the early `90s gang would throw things off.

I don't care for any of those guys, but I don't see that it would matter.


Obviously you never heard of Trading Places, Eddie did just fine working with original SNL castmember in that film.

I've seen it, but I wasn't saying anything like Murphy not be able to fit with original SNL members. I just said it would have been interesting to have seen him in Ghostbusters, but I'm not complaining. Ernie Hudson was great.

[Old Guy]

Winston was supposed to be the "outsider"

No. Winston played by Ernie Hudson is the outsider. There's no way that Eddie Murphy in the role would have so little screen time. Murphy already had a hit movie (48 Hours) and was the biggest star on SNL. Winston as played by Murphy would have been there since the beginning of the movie. I would even go as far to say that Murphy would have gotten more screen time than Harold Ramis.



I don't see that it would matter.


What I'm saying is that there's a difference between one-on-one acting and group/ensamble acting. By Ghostbusters, these guys had spent like 15 years acting together. They knew what worked and what didn't. It was a tight group. Murphy was fine in Trading Places cause it was one-on-one but with a group...that just throws things off.

[Tobias]

No. Winston played by Ernie Hudson is the outsider. There's no way that Eddie Murphy in the role would have so little screen time. Murphy already had a hit movie (48 Hours) and was the biggest star on SNL. Winston as played by Murphy would have been there since the beginning of the movie. I would even go as far to say that Murphy would have gotten more screen time than Harold Ramis.


I believe that was even confirmed by one of the film's producers during the interviews on the RGB set from Time Life. Winston was intended for Murphy, and would have been with the group from the opening in the library. When Murphy passed, the role was rewritten for Hudson, who became the everyman to the wacky hijinks.

On a similiar note, Hudson auditioned to voice Winston in the cartoon, but lost out to Arsenio Hall.

[zoombie]

One thing is for sure, Ernie Hudson is enternally greatful that Eddie turned down the role.

I think adding Eddie Murphy would only improve the movie, it is still great. But I could imagine the funny stuff Eddie would say when they were fighting Slimer and the Marshmellow Boy, or when they thrown in jail. "Mother always said hanging around with white people would keep me out of jail."

[Old Guy]

Murphy would have stolen the movie from Bill Murray. There's no way that Murray could have competed with `80s Eddie Murphy. It would have resulted in a completely different movie. I mean...not even Ghostbusters at the box office could compete with Beverly Hills Cops which was the highest grossing movie of 1984. An R-rated movie at #1. How often do you see that? Well...let's put it this way...in the last 30 years only 4 movies have accomplished that.

[TheVileOne]

I went to a retrospective screening of Ghostbusters once at the Austin Film Festival about 3 years ago. Ramis and Hudson were both in attendance for a QnA.

Hudson talked about coming onto the movie, and he was a little emotional because it sounded like his role was scaled back a lot (he mentioned his character first being introduced on page 8, and then it being moved to page 40). He seemed to hint that some egos were at work without actually saying it. He also said that Ramis helped was able to help him through that whole process and disappointment.

I imagine they scaled back Winston if Murphy really did turn it down and it was originally being written for Murphy, as well as Murray probably wanting more screentime over Winston.

I totally understand how Hudson would've felt. But he at least got a good part in the movie and he played it very well. He brought a good unique perspective and dynamic to the group that the other characters didn't have. He basically became the straight man of the group.