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So I got a chance to talk with comedy legend Bill Murray for his new film GET LOW, in which he co-stars with the great Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek.  It’s going to take some time to transcribe the interview, but there’s a piece of it that simply won’t wait.  Knowing Murray was an avid golfer, and knowing he’s fond of the movie CADDYSHACK, I had to squeeze in a question about whether or not we’d see a potential sequel to the franchise.  After all, GHOSTBUSTERS 3 is on the way, and this is the age of sequels and revisited franchises.  Boy did Bill drop a bomb on me.  Here’s what came of it, word for word:

Mark Walters: I’m a huge fan of your work in CADDYSHACK, and considering your love for golf, and the strong fandom surrounding that film, is there any chance we’ll see another film in the series?  Especially now with franchises being revived from the 80’s.

Bill Murray: Well, funny you should ask.  Harold (Ramis) and I have talked in recent years about the possibility of returning to those characters, and how we could do it.  And when another GHOSTBUSTERS started moving forward, Harold and I said to one another, “Maybe it’s time to go back to the well on CADDYSHACK.”  So he started pounding out a script, and I had some ideas on it as well, and we began working together in secret with script ideas.  And now it looks like it may finally happen, believe it or not.

Mark Walters: Really?  I fully expected you to say no on this, I gotta say I’m kind of shocked to hear this.

Bill Murray: Well no one really knows about it yet.  But it’s going to happen, at least if Harold and I have anything to say about it.  I think it’s pretty brilliant actually.  The concept is that Carl Spackler, my character from the first film, left the club after the incidents in the first movie.  He moved away, started taking speech classes, and even studied with a refinement coach.  Carl is now a completely new man.  He’s developed golf courses over the years by partnering with Ty Webb, and become a very wealthy man.  And now, he owns Bushwood, so it’s all come full circle.

Mark Walters: Wow, so he’s a changed man for sure.  I take it since Ty Webb and Carl are working together, does that mean Chevy would be in it?

Bill Murray: Of course, it wouldn’t be CADDYSHACK without Chevy Chase in it.  We’re even talking about bringing back many of the original cast members, including Michael O’Keefe and Cindy Morgan.  Obviously Rodney (Dangerfield) and Ted (Knight) are out, but we’re thinking about bringing in a great actor to be a foil, maybe Christopher Walken or someone along those lines.  And I’m pretty sure I can talk my brother Brian into returning as the caddy manager.

Mark Walters: I was actually about to ask you about him, he was so great in the first one.  Well I’m betting one of the biggest questions people will have is will we see the gopher in it?

Bill Murray: Oh yes, again, like Chevy, it wouldn’t be CADDYSHACK without it.  In fact, the gopher plays a big part in the story.  See, Carl is all refined now and proper, and the one link to his past is that damn gopher.  When he takes over Bushwood, it’s a big victory for him on many levels.  But the gopher shows up, and Carl slowly but surely starts losing his mind trying to kill it, and ultimately reverts back to his old self… which of course everyone wants to see anyway.

Mark Walters: This really sounds great.  I think people are going to be very excited about it.  So it’s really moving forward now?

Bill Murray: Yes, very much so.  We have a title too, which I love.  It’s going to be called CADDYSHACK 3: IT’S IN THE HOLE.  The title makes me chuckle, because not only is it a throwback to classic Carl, but it also kind of refers to the gopher being the problem, as the gopher is in the hole… I guess, at least that’s how I see it.

Mark Walters: So how soon could this start?

Bill Murray: Well we have to get GHOSTBUSTERS 3 done, which is starting soon, but it’s looking like we could shoot it as soon as early 2011, maybe sooner.  They want a summer 2011 release.  Originally Harold and I were hoping it would get made and released this year, as 2010 is the 30th anniversary of CADDYSHACK.  But sometimes movies can take a while to get done.

So there you have it.  Who would have thought we’d see Carl Spackler back on the big screen?  Granted, Bill and Chevy are considerably older now, but with Harold Ramis writing, and Bill’s obvious enthusiasm for the project, this could be really cool, right?  Then again this could be a really sadistic April Fool’s joke, for which I apologize profusely.  Yeah.  It is.  Sorry y’all.  In actuality I never got to talk to Bill Murray or be part of the interviews for GET LOW.  He was the one guy I most wanted to meet at SXSW, and I couldn’t get on the list for him.  Oh well.  Gave me this brilliant idea, and at least I can share that with you.

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