‘Ghostbusters 3’ Filming Delayed, Sony’s Financial Troubles To Blame

Filming for the highly anticipated Ghostbusters 3 has been delayed due to income woes at Sony Pictures Entertainment, the studio behind the film.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, filming for Ghostbusters 3 was slated to begin next summer after Sony secured Ivan Reitman to direct and paid Men in Black 3 scribe Etan Cohen for a script. It should be noted that the script Cohen wrote was not the version that Bill Murray is rumored to have shredded.

Sony’s chief executive Kaz Hirai denies allegations the entertainment company is looking to sell portions of the company: “There is absolutely no truth to rumors that Sony’s Entertainment businesses are for sale … Our entertainment companies have a stable business foundation and are poised for future growth. There is no reason to sell these industry-leading businesses, and no consideration is being given to the idea.”

However, sources tell THR that the film studio is “almost paralyzed” until the end of their fiscal year on March 31, 2013. This means that Ghostbusters 3‘s rumored shooting date of summer 2013 will now have to be postponed. What’s more, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that the companies financial troubles will also result in a trimmed down film slate.

Sony’s usual 22 films a year may be cut to 18 or fewer, which means there is a chance that Ghostbusters 3 may not make it to theaters at all. But given the rumored difficulty with finding a decent script and Bill Murray refusing to participate, Ghostbusters 3 getting delayed due to Sony’s financial troubles may not be a bad thing.