With talk of the long-awaited third outing of Ghostbusters still rumbling on and, more recently, rumors emerging of an all-female reboot, original co-creator and star Dan Aykroyd has revealed that he’s hoping for much more than just a one-off return.

Speaking in London where he was in town to promote his brand of Crystal Head vodka, the 62-year-old said that had been looking towards some of the bigger franchise models for guidance.

"It’s beyond just another sequel, a prequel, another TV show. I'm thinking what does the whole brand mean to Sony?" he said. "What does Pixar and Star Wars mean to Disney? What does Marvel mean to Fox?"

Aykroyd said that the entire Ghostbusters team — “the executives, the creatives, Ivan [Reitman, the director] and myself” — were now looking at the next 10 years. Earlier in year Reitman exited the director's chair for the planned 2015 return, although he is still lined up to produce.

He added that the focus must be "not just another movie or another TV show, but what’s the totality of it? The whole mythology from the beginning of their lives, the end of their lives. Ghostbusters at nine years old, Ghostbusters in high school."

Using the Ghostbusters car Ecto as an analogy, Aykroyd said that the entire concept was now sitting in the garage without paint, wheels, a motor or transmission. "It’s up on blocks, it needs new electronics, new everything," he said. "That’s what we have to do. The whole vehicle of Ghostbusters has to be rebuilt. That’s the ambitious thinking that’s going on now. Taking on the model of Marvel where we take all of the elements that are in this movie and we put them out there as different ideas."

Aykroyd also added that he thought the idea of a female-led Ghostbusters was a possibility for the third or fourth film. "We need to write it," he said though.

'Ghostbusters' Reboot Lands 'The Heat' Writer Katie Dippold (Exclusive)
11:28 AM PDT 10/8/2014 by Borys Kit

Katie Dippold, who wrote Paul Feig’s female buddy action comedy The Heat, is reteaming with the director for Sony's new Ghostbusters movie.

Dippold has been tapped to co-write the script with Feig for the long-gestating third installment.

After years of development as a sequel with the intent to bring back the original team (Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis), script setbacks eventually led a path to focus on a new generation (think Jonah Hill). When Ramis died earlier this year and then original director Ivan Reitman left in March.

Feig came on board to rejuvenate the project in August. But he came with a twist: the Ghostbusters would now be a female team and the project would no longer be connected to the earlier movies but now launch a new series.

Feig is already seen as female-friendly in comic circles; he directed Bridesmaids (which gave Kristen Wigg and Melissa McCarthy career breakouts), and then The Heat, which starred McCarthy and Sandra Bullock.

Dippold’s hiring will buttress the female voice as the script is rehauled. She recently finished penning a sequel for The Heat and previously honed her comedic voice working on NBC’s Parks and Recreation as well as MadTV.

It is unclear at this stage if this will be Feig's next movie. Feig and his Feigco Entertainment partner Jessie Henderson will executive produce. Reitman will act as producer.

Dippold is repped by WME and 3 Arts Entertainment.

@paulfeig
It's official. I'm making a new Ghostbusters & writing it with @katiedippold & yes, it will star hilarious women. That's who I'm gonna call.
3:57 PM - 8 Oct 2014