How Ghostbusters landed its Bill Murray cameo

Director Paul Feig has revealed how after years of resisting sequels and reboots, the actor finally changed his mind

There's been one tantalising secret about the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot that has so far been kept hidden from fans; the exact nature of Bill Murray's teased cameo.

And, while we're probably going to have to wait until it hits cinemas to find that out; director Paul Feig has revealed how he convinced Murray to make an appearance in the first place, though he's been vocally against any involvement in new Ghostbusters movies in the past.

Turns out Murray's just a big fan of the new cast; which sees Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Melissa McCarthy pick up the proton packs for a rebooted take on the 1984 comedy.

"Bill worked with Melissa in St Vincent and he's been around the [SNL] set enough, and Kristen knows him really well," Feig told Yahoo Movies. "One of the reasons he did it, I think he liked the role we wrote for him. But he also just likes these actors, and just wanted to be a part of it. And he didn't want to give any stamp of disapproval by not coming on board."

Feig certainly seems appreciative of Murray's support on the project. "That was a big moment for me when he walked on the set," he stated. "You’re so in the moment that nothing seems like it has any kind of historical value while you’re doing it, because we’re just making this thing. … But when he walked onto the Ghostbusters set I was like, 'This is a big deal.’ It was really nerve-wracking, and special."

“As he was doing this role we wrote," Feig continued. "He did this one take in particular where like, in Meatballs, where he just bursts out with some big thing. It wasn’t scripted. That’s when you’re like, 'Oh my God, wow, Bill Murray’s here. This is Bill Murray from Stripes.'"

Murray will also be joined by cameos from original cast members Sigourney Weaver and Dan Aykroyd; though it's been previously confirmed Murray and Aykroyd won't be returning as Peter Venkman and Raymond Stantz.

Ghostbusters hits UK cinemas 15 July.