Bill Murray's 'Ghostbusters' Cameo Is Perplexing

Fans of the original Ghostbusters were thrilled when it was announced that Bill Murray would have a cameo in the reboot, which hits theaters on July 15. However, unfortunately for all of us Ghostbusters fanatics, Murray won't be returning to the silver screen as our beloved Dr. Peter Venkman. There won't be any sassy one-liners, iconic facial expressions, or sarcastic comebacks in this film... well, not from Venkman at least. The truth is that Murray is set to appear in a cameo, but as a totally new character, one whose fate is (spoiler!) a bit unclear by the end of the movie. Those who watch the actor take part in the reboot will have one big question when the credits roll — does Murray die in Ghostbusters ?

Before I spoil the fate of his character, I guess I should tell you a little bit about who it is Murray plays. In the film, Murray makes his cameo about a third of the way through as a paranormal debunker, Dr. Martin Heiss, who makes it his mission to expose the Ghostbusters as frauds. Murray's character wants to prove that the Ghostbusters are lying about capturing a ghost. Already, it seems Murray has plenty of comedic material to play with. But how exactly does his cameo go down, and how does it possibly end in disaster?

Well, in the film, Murray manages to annoy the Ghostbusters to the point of visiting their headquarters after hearing that they have successfully "captured a ghost." Murray's character is adamant they're frauds and that ghosts don't exist. So, in an effort to prove him wrong, Kristen Wiig's character, Erin, decides to let the ghost they've just captured out. Not the smartest move, as after the ghost is released, it attacks Murray's character and he ends up thrown out of the window.

Now, it's unclear whether or not Murray's character actually dies after being flung from the window or if he's just beaten and bruised pretty badly. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if he's dead, if only as a way to avoid more Murray cameos in future Ghostbusters movies. The actor hasn't said he's done making Ghostbusters cameos, but he did take a long time to decide if he would join the film in the first place. In an interview with Vulture, Murray said, “I thought about it for a very long time... Like, many, many months. No, that’s not right. I was seriously thinking about this for years, really … It kept eating at me." If it took that much time for him to agree to this one cameo, I can't see him agreeing to making another one in the future.

Aside from Murray, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd, Annie Pott, and Sigourney Weaver are all set to appear in the new Ghostbusters as new characters. Rick Moranis, unfortunately, is not returning. Yet whether you prefer the 1984 classic or you realize you can love both and can't wait to see the 2016 reboot too, one thing is clear: the original and current Ghostbusters are here to stay.

Images: Columbia Pictures; Giphy (2)