Dan Aykroyd confirms Bill Murray for 'Ghostbusters 2020'

Dan Aykroyd has confirmed that Bill Murray will be reprising his role as Dr. Peter Venkman in the new Ghostbusters movie.

Thus far there’s been no official word on whether he’d be back to join the ranks.

But appearing on the US podcast The Greg Hill Show, Aykroyd dropped Murray’s name while speaking about having already filmed their parts in director Jason Reitman’s - son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman - new sequel.

“Jason Reitman wrote a beautiful, heartfelt script that takes the real DNA from the first two movies and transfers that directly to the third, the next generation,” he said.

“It hands the legacy off to a new generation of stars, and players, and actors, and characters.”

He goes on: “We've shot our part, myself, Murray, Sigourney and Annie Potts, and it was really exciting working on this new idea, a new take on the story, which Jason, who's a really incredible and fine filmmaker came up with.

Read more: Ernie Hudson confirmed for new Ghostbusters movie

“So I'm pretty excited. You know, you never know in the film business. 'Nobody knows nothing', as the great writer William Goldman said. You don't know what's going to be a hit or not. But I have really good feelings about this, just because of the quality of the stars.

“We've got some terrific young actor, a great story, a great setting, it's going to be scary, thought-provoking, it's gonna be very heart-felt, you'll feel it if you have loved ones you miss, and you've lost. It's going to be evocative in that way.”

Though the movie is currently being called Ghostbusters 2020, rumours are beginning to circulate that it is set to be called Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which would perhaps tally with what Aykroyd mentions about ‘missing loved ones’.

Aykroyd also took the opportunity to show respect for Paul Feig's reboot movie from 2016.

Read more: Paul Rudd joins Ghostbusters 2020

“Billy and I showed up for that because we had faith in that vision,” he went on. “They were incredible ladies. And that's going to be a great standalone piece in time, part of the pantheon of the Ghostbusters myth and legend. You can't beat the performances of those ladies. Incredible.”

Though much of the plot of the new movie remains under wraps, it follows a family moving back to a small town which holds secrets.

On the bill are Haunting of Hill House star McKenna Grace, Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon from The Leftovers and Paul Rudd.

Meanwhile, Aykroyd reprises Ray Stanz, Ernie Hudson is Winston Zeddemore, Sigourney Weaver is Dana Barrett and Annie Pott is Janine Melnitz.

It arrives in cinemas in July, 2020.