Ghostbusters: Bill Murray praises new film, says its a 'tough movie to pull off'

'Believe me. I feel like a stepfather to the whole thing, you know? But there is no quit in these girls'

Jimmy Kimmel provided the ultimate treat for Ghostbusters fans on the latest edition of his talk show, as part of his Game Night episodes in honour of the NBA finals.

The host first introduced the cast of director Paul Feig's Ghostbusters reboot to the stage, talking behind the scenes tidbits with Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Melissa McCarthy. All before introducing a set of surprise visitors to the show: Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts of the original cast of 1984's Ghostbusters.

All four are set for cameos in the new film; an achievement particularly in nabbing Murray, who has an extremely long history of shooting down pitches for new Ghostbusters flicks. When asked what changed his mind, Murray answered simply; "It was only because I knew these girls were funny."

He continued, "When you see the film - and you'll delight in the film - it sort of rumbles along in the beginning and you think, oh god, are they going to pull this off? Believe me. I feel like a stepfather to the whole thing, you know? But there is no quit in these girls."

"But this is a tough movie to pull off because it's a big concept, there's a lot on the plate, there's a lot of expectation. And Danny and I, and Annie and Ernie; were just screaming, cheering like we were at a sporting event at the end of it."

It's rare for rebooted franchise films to see such a close, supportive relationship between old and new casts; which speaks somewhat to the fact Feig's cast are very much drawn from the same world as the original's, relying on the very best of contemporary Saturday Night Live talent. As Murray fondly notes, "I've worked with Melissa before, and a little bit with Kris[ten]."

Aykroyd also praised the new film, saying he's "really really happy" with it; adding his support for an all-female Ghostbusters team while joking, "all the guys in the movie are just fine too! There are men and women in the movie!" "Wait a minute, let's not rush by that," Murray added, "there are both men and women in this film."

Indeed, Kimmel did touch on the heavy misogynistic backlash the film has received since the all-female team was first announced; commenting, "A lot of these guys who seem to have - I don't know - very empty lives, are upset because they say, oh, well we can't have female Ghostbusters because only men can fight imaginary ghosts in a make believe movie."

To which McCarthy humorously added, "Terrific fellas! What they don't say when they're typing is that, like, one minute after they type that their mom's like, 'Get upstairs and take out the garbage! You're 45-years-old!'" The actress had previously joked that she just hopes sexist critics of the new film can, "find a friend".

It's simply sad to see the film face such an uphill struggle to cinemas, while the summer's other non-original properties Independence Day: Resurgence and Star Trek Beyond seem to getting a free pass.

Especially so when Paul Feig has had to call on the press to stop labelling the comedy a "chick flick". Nevertheless, there's been plenty of fun promo coming out ahead of the film's release, including a brand new poster featuring finger guns and Kate McKinnon being a total boss.

Ghostbusters hits UK cinemas 15 July.