The Chicago Tribune received an e-mail from creator Harold Ramis confirming the existence of Ghostbusters 3.

The e-mail missive reads:

"yes, columbia is developing a script for GB3 with my year one writing partners, gene stupnitsky and lee eisenberg.  judd apatow is co-producing year one and has made several other films for sony, so of course the studio is hoping to tap into some of the same acting talent. aykroyd, ivan reitman and i are consulting at this point, and according to dan, bill murray is willing to be involved on some level.  he did record his dialogue for the new ghostbusters video game, as did danny and i, and ernie hudson.  the concept is that the old ghostbusters would appear in the film in some mentor capacity.  not much else to say at this point.  everyone is confident a decent script can be written and i guess we’ll take it from there.
best,
harold"

The very mention of Judd Apatow shows the savvy thinking going into the third film. Apatow is the current tastemaker in comedy and once he gets involved, he brings with him a cadre of talents.  Reading between the lines, if the original team is on hand in some minor role, it’s clearly to mentor the next generation of slime hunters.  Imagine, if you will, the original quarter teamed with Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, James Franco and Michael Cera, Jason Segel and Craig Robinson.
 

Even if we are lucky enough to ever see another Serenity feature, there are far too many questions to be answered in one sitting. One of those is just who is Shepherd Book. Joss Whedon talks about why he chose character for a new Dark Horse mini-series, plus:

• Buffy gets an MMO, Firefly gets put on hold
• Ghostbusters ready for a revamp
• Who is Lady Bullseye?

A week’s worth of pop culture in one refresing blast – Press the Button!
 

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Nikkie Finke at Deadline Hollywood broke the story that Sony may well have signed both director Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire for two more Spider-Man films. To maximize their time, word is the studio is eyeing filming them back-to-back ensuring the franchise endures well into the next decade and because, according to a source "it wasn’t so easy to get everybody back together".

Jamie Vanderbilt (Zodiac) already has a script for the fourth installment on deck. As to the villain of the piece, Finke suspects Dylan Baker, seen in the previous film as Curt Connors, will finally turn into the Lizard although obviously nothing has been formally announced.

Kirsten Dunst is expected back as Mary Jane although she may find a different rival than Bryce Dallas Howard’s Gwen Stacy.

The deal has come together only in the last few weeks, a source told Finke. With Maguire being balky, the studio was quietly looking around for a replacement Peter Parker, just as they did for the second film. Sony president Amy Pascal “was looking around to cover herself because Sony wanted him badly and Tobey wasn’t sure he wanted to do it." A Sony Pictures spokesman told the website, "There was never anyone considered for the role but Tobey."

There’s no deal yet for Kirsten Dunst but Mary Jane Watson will be in the movie again. I’m told Sony "would never recast her" despite her rehab problems. But expect another gal part, too.

Shooting is not expected to begin until fall 2009 with a June 2011 release date already announced.  The winner of the eBay auction to gain a package involving a walk on part among other goodies went for $28,100.

Sony, meanwhile, has continued to develop a Venom spinoff film with unnamed screenwriters hired to begin work on a script that would most likely bring Topher Gracer back for a second go-round as the villainous symbiote.

The other day, we mentioned that Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea was wowing them in Japan at The Dark Knight’s expense.  Now we have word from Time.com that Disney will bring  Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated film to the states in 2009. It is slowly rolling out around the world, having played the Venice Film Festival last week and will hit the UK in April.

Ponyo is the name of a princess goldfish who desires to be human.  When washed up on the shore, Ponyo befriends a 5-year-old boy and all seems swell until the fish’s father summons the sea to help find his missing child.

Starting Wednesday, computer watchers can surf and find Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy at Google and assorted other sites.

In a MacFarlane profile at today’s Wall Street Journal, the creator of Family Guy described how some 50 Cavalcade clips will be available at the rate of one per well. According to the article, “Google will deliver Cavalcade clips to pages visited primarily by 18- to 34-year-old men. In a new twist in the way entertainment is distributed, visitors to sites including Fandango.com and men’s magazine Maxim.com might see a Cavalcade cartoon play in a slot where a banner ad or video promo would normally appear.”

"We give him full creative control," Dan Goodman, president of digital media at Media Rights Capital, told the WSJ. As a result, most sites will run the unexpurgated clips with the liberal use of the f-bomb. Other sites will bleep out the offending words.

MacFarlane managed to sign this deal before his mammoth $100 million renewal with 20th-Century Fox. He continues to work on Family Guy, which debuted in 1999 and shows no sign of slowing down; American Dad and in spring 2009 will offer The Cleveland Show, a FG spin-off.  Family Guy’s seventh season begins September 28 and work is proceeding on a feature film version.