Why did it take 5 years to make a sequel to one of the highest grossing films of all time?
Enter Columbia Pictures CEO David Putnam.
By all accounts Mr. Putnam was very anti-Ghostbusters, he apparently loathed Bill Murray to the point where he would publicly air his grievances against the actor. During a speech at a British-American Chamber of Commerce banquet, he was quoted saying that Murray was "an actor who makes millions off movies but gives nothing back to his art. He's a taker."
The original film was a massive gamble by Putnams predecessor, Frank Price. A Hail Mary pass by a desperate studio. Had anyone but Frank Price been the head of Columbia when Ghostbusters was brought to the studio, it would have never seen the light of day. In a corporate sense, Ghostbusters was Prices legacy. The last thing David Putnam wanted was to bolster someone elses legacy. David Putnam wanted Columbia to be an Oscar factory, green lighting what he saw as "respectable" films. Needless to say once the studio needed a reliable, sure hit, Putnam and his burnt bridges were out and Dawn Steel, first female to head the Studio, was in. Priority number one on Steels agenda? Ghostbusters II.
Its March 1988. Legendary CAA agent Michael Ovitz is sitting at a table with his clients Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray Ivan Reitman & the late, great Harold Ramis. The back dining room of famous Hollywood showbiz restaurant "Jimmys" is covered in "no ghost logo" posters and left over merchandise from the first film. Ovitz has a mission; bury the hatchet between certain members of the creative team. Who was mad at whom and why isnt known, some say it was money, while others say ego. In the end Ovitz succeeds and a few hours later the four men agree to dust off the PKE meters and strap on their proton packs. However, getting the principle players to commit isnt the same as signing on. Months of negotiating followed with each party taking a piece of the back end in lieu of major upfront salaries. Back at Columbia Pre Production is fast tracked to meet a summer '89 deadline.
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