Columbia Pictures has begun development on a new installment of its blockbuster Ghostbusters film franchise, almost twenty years since the last movie hit the screens.

Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, executive producers on the US version of The Office, are to write a script. Eisenberg and Stupnitsky have recently been involved with a Ghostbuster - Harold Ramis, co-writer of Ghostbusters with Dan Aykroyd, has been directing the comedy film The Year One with a script written by the two.

Columbia has not made any official comment so far, but has has remained quiet on many of the recent rumours concerning interest in these much-loved supernatural adventures. Variety is reporting that the studio's intent is to reunite the original cast of Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson. However, no deals will be made with the original cast until the script is ready.

A third installment has been stuck in development hell for some time. Dan Akyroyd wrote a screenplay back in the 90s which was ultimately turned down for being too expensive to produce, and then rights issues prevented anything from moving forward until recently - animated features and computer games have since been reported. Bill Murray's on-off attidude toward reprising his role has also proven to be a stumbling block for any revival.

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