If you’ve been eagerly anticipating Ghostbusters 3, it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

Columbia Pictures tried to oust director Ivan Reitman so they could find someone younger. But Reitman, along with fellow franchise founders Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis hold veto power for most of the creative decisions that are to be made for any upcoming project.

Everyone in the original crew would like to start on the project, but Bill Murray is still hesitant. Murray has consistently dragged his feet on the project ever since it was first announced in the planning stages.

Murray told David Letterman earlier this year that the thought of a third movie was a “nightmare,” and that he only agreed to appear in it if they promised to kill him off during the first reel, to come back as a ghost, a statement he has assured fans was just a joke.

At the Tribeca Film Festival, Murray made it clear that he believes the hype has come from the movie studio trying to milk more money out of the cash-cow franchise, and that he won’t agree to the project until a great script comes along. He doesn’t believe in just re-hashing.

So all that talk about the studio having hired writers and picking a release date of summer 2011? Just talk. Unless a quality script miraculously appears. The first script, written by The Office writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky (who wrote the not-so-good film Year One) seems to be the reason for Murray’s arguments. However, they are due to turn in a new draft in May, so maybe there is hope yet.

Following the trend of classic books and cartoons finding their way to the big screen, everyone’s favorite pic-a-nic basket stealing bear is making his way from the animated forest of Jellystone to a theater near you.

Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to Hanna-Barbera’s Yogi Bear, and will be turning the cartoon into a feature film that combines live-action and CG.

Currently in talks to be part of the film are Anna Faris, Dan Aykroyd, and Justin Timberlake.

Faris will play the role of a filmmaker making a nature documentary who roams through Jellystone park to catch the antics of Yogi, and Timberlake could likely be the voice behind Boo Boo, Yogi’s faithful sidekick.

Aykroyd will be providing the voice of Jellystone’s main attraction, Yogi Bear himself.

This is not the first voice-over role for either Aykroyd or Timberlake. Aykroyd was the voice of Chip in 1998′s Antz and Timberlake lent his voice to Artie in 2007′s Shrek the Third.

Warner Bros. hopes to move forward with Yogi in December. Filming is to take place in New Zealand, with Eric Brevig directing and Donald De Line producing.

In a perfect world, we’d have a Ghostbusters 3 with Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson, with Ivan Reitman returning to direct. Also in a perfect world, Ghostbusters 3 would be a worthy sequel to the original, a great swan song of classic comedy performers returning to the roles they’re so often synonymous with.

The good news is that this perfect world is one step closer — Ivan Reitman is returning in some capacity, either as a director or a producer. What’s also great is that Rick Moranis (who has disappeared into oblivion) and the lovely Sigourney Weaver are returning as well.

The film will take place “when the paranormal researchers ‘reopen’ their ghost removal service after it has been closed for quite a few years.”

I’m sort of in shock, to be honest — this mammoth project is actually moving forward at a sure but steady pace. I think it’s the right time for it, as well. Enough time has died down since Ghostbusters II for a worthy sequel to become more of a possibility. I’ll certainly be there opening day.

What do you think of Ghostbusters 3? Is it a good idea, or simply a way to muck up a classic? Let us know in the comments, and keep an eye on AtomicPopcorn.net for more updates on the project.