Ghostbusters: What if John Candy would have joined the cast?

John Candy could have been a part of the Ghostbusters cast. What character would he have played? Ivan Reitman reveals he had him in mind for Louis Tully.

John Candy was an exceptional comedian. In the 80’s and the 90’s, it seemed like he was everywhere.

From his television series, SCTV which featured the talented crew of Rick Moranis, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas and Martin Short to his various film appearances in such classics as The Blues Brothers, Stripes, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Home Alone, JFK and Cool Runnings, he was a beloved figure on the silver screen. When you saw his name in the credits, you knew you were in for a good time and frequent laughs.

So, imagine our surprise when we found out via Cinemablend, that John Candy was offered a role in Ghostbusters. Ivan Reitman, had just worked with the actor and Bill Murray in Stripes. After reading Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis’ screenplay, the director could clearly see Candy as Louis Tully.

As it turned out, after reading the script, the comedian had some very different ideas on how the character should be portrayed. Unfortunately, they would clash with Reitman’s vision.

The movie was set in New York and let’s face it; the city is a huge part of the story. John Candy, wanted to play the nerdy accountant with a German accent. Obviously, his take on the script clashed with the way that Reitman saw Tully.

For whatever reason, the actor also felt it would be amusing for the bean counter to have a couple of German Shepherd dogs as pets. The director and Candy tried to hash out their different interpretations to no avail.

Since both creatives were at an impasse, the actor turned down the role. Reitman then sent the script to Rick Moranis who fell in love with Louis immediately and the rest is history.

Would you have wanted to see John Candy play Louis Tully? Let us know in the comments.