Continual rumors about a third installment to the popular “Ghostbusters” franchise have been circulating for two decades. Dan Aykroyd, who plays Dr. Raymond Stantz in the horror-comedy series and has served as the threequal’s head advocate is pushing for the film to start production again, but this time with less optimism for the future.

The self-proclaimed cheerleader of the film to an interviewer at Esquire that the people involved in the possible “Ghostbusters” project have a story conceived and are waiting for the project to get greenlit.

Ivan Reitman, the director, who travels from Santa Barbara to L.A., and has for the last three years, working with writers to put it together. [‘The Office’ writers] Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, who worked on one of the drafts,” said Aykroyd in his interview with Esquire. “Now we have a story and a draft that everybody seems to agree would make the third movie. At this point, I think we're closer than we ever have been. And because of the ever-shifting sands and nature of the motion-picture business, I will just say that hopefully, at some point, it will be morphing into what is known in the business as a [Aykroyd gestured finger quotes according to Esquire] ‘production number XP39789.’”

Even though Aykroyd says he is as involved as anyone who is attached to the project, he claims that he doesn’t know exactly how the script will turn out. “I don't know what the final, final draft is gonna be. That's to be determined.”

Other problems that face the project include the disinterest of series lead Bill Murray. “Had Billy chosen to do the Eisenberg/Stupnitsky script of two years ago, it would be out this summer, and it would be a massive hit,” said Aykroyd, who brings up that “[Murray] can always come back at any time and be rebuilt into it.”

“We can't wait forever,” said Aykroyd with a sense of urgency about the project. “And now's the time to tell the picture company, and I'd say this quite publically, it's time now to sit down and make this movie, or you will lose your main principals, and you won't be able to make it without us, because we have rights, and now is time to make the movie...”