[mrmichaelt]

This post may contain an affiliate link that helps support GBFans.com when you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Mentioned first in the Afterlife thread, but since it covers the whole franchise and it might get swallowed up in the Afterlife discussion, I am starting a thread for just the book. It is tentatively set to release in Fall 2022. This week Amazon just updated the date to August 1, 2022 but pre-orders are not being taken at the moment.
https://www.amazon.com/Ghostbusters-Sag ... 1493048244
http://lyonspress.com/books/9781493048243

Synopsis
"Rarely has a movie this expensive provided so many quotable lines." So spake Roger Ebert in his review of Ghostbusters, the 1984 blockbuster that combined our paranormal fears and fascination with some of the sharpest comic minds of the day. Ghostbusters instantly resonated with audiences thanks to eye-popping special effects and crackling wit; to date, it remains the highest grossing horror comedy of all time. The film spawned an Emmy-nominated Saturday morning cartoon, a tent pole 1989 sequel, a contentious 2016 reboot, legions of merchandise, and one of the most dedicated fan bases in history. Ghostbusters also elevated its players to superstardom, something a few cast members found more daunting than the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Now, for the first time, the entire history of the slime-soaked franchise is told in A Convenient Parallel Dimension: The Ghostbusters Saga 1975-2020. The cohesion of talent during the mid-'70s comedy revolution, the seat-of-their-pants creation of the first Ghostbusters, the explosive success that seemed to mandate a franchise, the five year struggle to make Ghostbusters II, the 31 year struggle to make Ghostbusters III — it's all here, with incredible attention to detail. Thoroughly researched and engaging, A Convenient Parallel Dimension smashes long-held myths and half truths about the dynamics behind this cultural juggernaut and presents the real story, down to the last drop of ectoplasm.

ISBN: 1493048244
Writer: James Greene, Jr.
Page Count: 240 pages
Publisher: Lyons Press

On August 31, 2021, James Green, Jr. said "I'm guessing someone at the publisher set up this Amazon link a while ago (I think the description is taken directly from the proposal I submitted back when Afterlife was first announced). The book is now called A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever and as far as I know it is being published in the Fall of 2022, not May. Everything else is correct on that link, though the book will cover Afterlife as well."

Green also confirmed, "If you mean will GB3 scripts be quoted directly, yes, a few, but not all. I haven't seen every single iteration with my own eyes and some of the drafts have come to me with the proviso they only be summarized."

On September 1, 2021, James Green, Jr. confirmed, "Yes, the book is going deeper on the video game. I interviewed a few of the core creative people and learned tons of fascinating stuff. You're right, it's an important juncture in the franchise history. Can't gloss over it!"

[jg2]

Hey, thanks for setting this up! I'll be around to answer questions about the book if anyone has any. I really appreciate everyone's interest. Can't wait for it to be out there so you can read it!

[d_osborn]

[RichardLess]

This post may contain an affiliate link that helps support GBFans.com when you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Mentioned first in the Afterlife thread, but since it covers the whole franchise and it might get swallowed up in the Afterlife discussion, I am starting a thread for just the book. It is tentatively set to release in Fall 2022. This week Amazon just updated the date to August 1, 2022 but pre-orders are not being taken at the moment.
https://www.amazon.com/Ghostbusters-Sag ... 1493048244
http://lyonspress.com/books/9781493048243

Synopsis
"Rarely has a movie this expensive provided so many quotable lines." So spake Roger Ebert in his review of Ghostbusters, the 1984 blockbuster that combined our paranormal fears and fascination with some of the sharpest comic minds of the day. Ghostbusters instantly resonated with audiences thanks to eye-popping special effects and crackling wit; to date, it remains the highest grossing horror comedy of all time. The film spawned an Emmy-nominated Saturday morning cartoon, a tent pole 1989 sequel, a contentious 2016 reboot, legions of merchandise, and one of the most dedicated fan bases in history. Ghostbusters also elevated its players to superstardom, something a few cast members found more daunting than the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Now, for the first time, the entire history of the slime-soaked franchise is told in A Convenient Parallel Dimension: The Ghostbusters Saga 1975-2020. The cohesion of talent during the mid-'70s comedy revolution, the seat-of-their-pants creation of the first Ghostbusters, the explosive success that seemed to mandate a franchise, the five year struggle to make Ghostbusters II, the 31 year struggle to make Ghostbusters III — it's all here, with incredible attention to detail. Thoroughly researched and engaging, A Convenient Parallel Dimension smashes long-held myths and half truths about the dynamics behind this cultural juggernaut and presents the real story, down to the last drop of ectoplasm.

ISBN: 1493048244
Writer: James Greene, Jr.
Page Count: 240 pages
Publisher: Lyons Press

On August 31, 2021, James Green, Jr. said "I'm guessing someone at the publisher set up this Amazon link a while ago (I think the description is taken directly from the proposal I submitted back when Afterlife was first announced). The book is now called A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever and as far as I know it is being published in the Fall of 2022, not May. Everything else is correct on that link, though the book will cover Afterlife as well."

Green also confirmed, "If you mean will GB3 scripts be quoted directly, yes, a few, but not all. I haven't seen every single iteration with my own eyes and some of the drafts have come to me with the proviso they only be summarized."

On September 1, 2021, James Green, Jr. confirmed, "Yes, the book is going deeper on the video game. I interviewed a few of the core creative people and learned tons of fascinating stuff. You're right, it's an important juncture in the franchise history. Can't gloss over it!"

This will be an automatic purchase for me. But I have to say…

…240 pages?

That’s it?

That doesn’t sound like enough, no?

How do you cover Ghostbusters, Real Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, Extreme Ghostbusters, all the iterations of Ghostbusters 3, Ghostbusters 2016, the video game, and Ghostbusters Afterlife in just 240 pages? Am I wrong to think that doesn’t sound like a lot? That’s 30 pages per project and obviously each isn’t going to get the same treatment.

Granted the first films been covered to death but there is so much about these other projects and productions that need an in-depth deep dive. Here’s hoping 240 pages is enough. The juiciest bits will probably be the GB2/GB3 stuff so I hope there’s ample space dedicated to that. I’ll keep my fingers(not streams) crossed.

It’s a shame J.W Rinzler passed away. There’s nothing I wanted more than for this franchise to get the Rinzler treatment, his behind the scenes books are just…wow. His Star Wars original trilogy books are probably the best ever made.

Will there be a digital version available?

It’s a bit frustrating by the lack of “making of” books that haven’t received the “enhanced” digital treatment. Again, I point to those Rinzler Star Wars making of books. The digital versions include audio, video, more art. It’s amazing. How cool would it be for this book to get similar treatment? Here’s hoping,

[d_osborn]

I believe this is going to be a "more words, fewer pictures" sort of book.

[mrmichaelt]

I believe this is going to be a "more words, fewer pictures" sort of book.

That's what I was thinking as well. A bit longer than The Visual History but less emphasis on the "Visual" part frees up a lot more space on the 240 pages.

[jg2]

I believe this is going to be a "more words, fewer pictures" sort of book.

That's correct. There will be 25 to 30 pictures in a middle insert, but otherwise the book is all text. Also, I think the page count will be longer than what's listed on Amazon. I found out all that info was auto pulled from a database without anyone really checking on it. 240 was my estimate when I submitted the book proposal. I'm still writing and I'm overwriting as much as I can.

Will there be a digital version available?

I believe so! And I agree with you on Rinzler. Unmatched greatness.

[RichardLess]

I believe this is going to be a "more words, fewer pictures" sort of book.

That's correct. There will be 25 to 30 pictures in a middle insert, but otherwise the book is all text. Also, I think the page count will be longer than what's listed on Amazon. I found out all that info was auto pulled from a database without anyone really checking on it. 240 was my estimate when I submitted the book proposal. I'm still writing and I'm overwriting as much as I can.

Will there be a digital version available?

I believe so! And I agree with you on Rinzler. Unmatched greatness.

That’s great to hear. I can’t wait!

Mind if a ask a question that might or might not spoil something from the book? It’s really minor.

There’s quite a few legends about Ghostbusters 2 ‘round these parts that no one has been able to definitively confirm or put to rest. One of those legends concerns the very end of the film. Some people swear when they saw the sequel in 1989 they saw Slimer fly out of the Statue of Liberty and come at the screen before cutting to black, just like the first film. There’s storyboards for it. I believe the novelization & comic book adaptation include the scene But no one has been able to for sure say if this happened or not. The legend is that is was removed from some release prints & home video due to Bill Murray complaining it might give the audience the impression another sequel is on the way.

Did you come across anything in your research for the book that could finally end this discussion once and for all? I’ve always thought it was bunk & that people were misremembering & it’s just another example of the Mandela effect.

[jg2]

That’s great to hear. I can’t wait!

Mind if a ask a question that might or might not spoil something from the book? It’s really minor.

There’s quite a few legends about Ghostbusters 2 ‘round these parts that no one has been able to definitively confirm or put to rest. One of those legends concerns the very end of the film. Some people swear when they saw the sequel in 1989 they saw Slimer fly out of the Statue of Liberty and come at the screen before cutting to black, just like the first film. There’s storyboards for it. I believe the novelization & comic book adaptation include the scene But no one has been able to for sure say if this happened or not. The legend is that is was removed from some release prints & home video due to Bill Murray complaining it might give the audience the impression another sequel is on the way.

Did you come across anything in your research for the book that could finally end this discussion once and for all? I’ve always thought it was bunk & that people were misremembering & it’s just another example of the Mandela effect.

I haven't found any evidence that they ever filmed a Slimer Statue of Liberty fly out sequence. Like you said, it seems to be the Mandela Effect. Of course, I am always prepared to be proven wrong and I won't render final judgement until the book's out.

[mrmichaelt]

Happened to check the Amazon page out and the pre-order option is live!

[jg2]

Happened to check the Amazon page out and the pre-order option is live!

Oh no! Guess I better finish it!

[mrmichaelt]

Amazon moved the release date from August 1 to October 1, 2022.

[jg2]

Amazon moved the release date from August 1 to October 1, 2022.

Spoke with the publisher this morning and the release date will actually probably be in November of 2022. Just FYI! Thanks again to everyone for your interest. There's gonna be a lot of stuff in this book that's never been covered anywhere else, I'm working extremely hard and I can't wait for you to read it!

[mrmichaelt]

Release date moved to November 1, 2022 on Amazon.

[robbritton]

The (very nice!) cover is up on GBNews: https://ghostbustersnews.com/2021/11/30 ... zYRu2ljhSI

[mrmichaelt]

James said he's starting his final proofread.
https://twitter.com/HoneyIShrunkJG2/sta ... 4867248130

There will be an audiobook version.
https://twitter.com/HoneyIShrunkJG2/sta ... 3540280323

[mrmichaelt]

The final proofread is done. Off to the printers.
https://twitter.com/HoneyIShrunkJG2/sta ... 9646170113

[Ectojeff88]

It’s release day! My book is arriving later today. Wow pre-ordered over 1 year ago!
Anyone see where the audiobook is? Audible doesn’t have it listed yet.

[jg2]

It’s release day! My book is arriving later today. Wow pre-ordered over 1 year ago!
Anyone see where the audiobook is? Audible doesn’t have it listed yet.

Thanks! And thanks to everyone here who has supported or shown interest in the book. I hope you all love it! Not sure when the audiobook is coming out. I e-mailed the publisher yesterday asking for a release date on that but haven't heard anything back yet. Stay tuned!

[deadderek]

My copy was just delivered!

Can't wait to read it tonight!

[ZedR]

I read through the first 149 pages last night - there were still a few tidbits of info that filled in blanks on what I already knew.

Zed
Find my collection of original GB Props, Costumes and Production items on instagram @gbartifacts

[mrmichaelt]

Mine just shipped! Take care of it postal gods.

[RichardLess]

I don’t know how to feel about this book.

I think the title is pretty terrible, frankly. (The first part is just a cheap throw away quote that makes NO SENSE. You’re doing a “making of” book. The parallel dimension quote doesn’t fit in. It’d be like calling it “Symmetrical Book Stacking: How Ghostbusters Slimed us Forever”. There’s a million alternatives that would be better like, oh I don’t know, off the top of my head? “Call it Fate, Call it Luck, Call it Karma: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever” or how about “The Untold History Of Ghostbusters”. Anything but the title as is.

It’s weird to think that a forum discussion on this website is used as a source of information lol.

The book isn’t particularly well written and has no framing devices. It just kinda…is. It’s like a Wikipedia page in book form. There are some interesting tidbits revealed here and there. Nothing earth shattering. I was let down on the Ghostbusters 2 stuff. It seems the author didn’t have access to any of the big names, most of the information in the book is sourced.

What’s good? The author did his research & he doesn’t pull his punches. If you want to walk away from a book loving all the people involved? This isn’t the book for you. Bill Murray & Ivan Reitman come off especially bad at times, which is interesting given the more recent news. The “making of” the Ray Parker Jr theme song for Ghostbusters is probably the best stuff in the book. The author kinda shines in those moments, like he’s putting together pieces of the puzzle. He goes through it all step by step and the book really soars at that part.


I feel like this could’ve been the definitive Ghostbusters book if the author had been given total access. That’s especially true when it comes to the GB3 stuff. If sacrificing some of the more harsh gossipy stuff meant Sony/Ghost Corp co operation & access to archives? It would’ve been worth it. It would’ve been great to get interviews that run concurrently with stuff written at the time the movies were being made.

Ghostbusters still hasn’t been given the proper treatment in “Making of” book form. My dream was J.W Rinzler getting the job but he passed away. Right now this is the best we have. But I don’t think that’s particularly high praise. I can’t help but feel this was a missed opportunity. The right ingredients are all here but it just needed that extra push across the line.

I give the book a B-. It all depends on how deep your knowledge base is. If you’ve read it all and seen it all there’s still some stuff you’ll learn.

[deadderek]

^^Nailed it. For a more casual fan it's a good read, but for us it's mostly nothing we didn't know already.

[RichardLess]

I just want to ask. What’s the etiquette on digging into the nitty gritty on this book? Some of you haven’t read it & I’m dying to talk about something very specific yet I don’t want to spoil anyones reading experience. So what’s the deal? Is it free reign? Should I post a specific thread or can we talk about it here?

[deadderek]

^^ I second this question.

[mrmichaelt]

I'd say one week from the release date is enough of a courtesy for others. If one can't read the whole book by then, avoid this thread until you're done. Come November 8, talk about the book on this thread to your heart's content.

[d_osborn]

I’ve been sitting on it for nearly two decades, dying to discuss with fellow fans. What’s another day?

I really enjoyed the hell out of the book. I was privy to a lot of Greene’s research, and still learned stuff on my first read.

The production of GB and GB2 is a crazy niche thing to research and be well-read in. History books are repetitive. My merits on judging new BTS content for GB stems heavily from what new stuff is brought to light. ANY expansion on what we know is welcomed with loving open arms.

The Ultimate Visual History had a handful of new stories and visuals. Detail on Aykroyd's pitch flightsuit was my fav. The Eaglemoss Inside Story compilation book less so, but brought some previously unseen Gary Montalbano GB2 concept art to light. Cleanin’ Up the Town had a lot of new stories and visuals from the production, many stemming straight from my flat file.

I know I sound like a broken record, but these films are massive creative commercial collaborations. There’s a metric ton of material we haven’t seen. Unit photos, art, scripts, memos— all sorts of things. We’re never getting a 2,000 page tome with everything, but we will continue to see a steady stream of new stuff surfacing for years to come. Auctions, crew members, collectors, people digging out old boxes from decades past, estate sales, Burbank flea markets, perhaps even new material from Ghost Corps!

I find it exciting we don’t know everything. Then again, I always liked waiting until Christmas morning to find out what Santa brought rather than sneaking around parental closets. If everything was dolled out to us in one fell swoop, it would be an entry on Wikipedia by nightfall and diced up into social media graphics. I consider this an on-going hobby of interest and collecting, not to be concluded any time soon.

James Greene Jr did his job really, really well with the book. He brought some crazy information to light that will spur a lot of new discussion. A Convenient Parallel Dimension is a solid read that will bring any casual/new fan up to speed, plus give hardcore nuts like us plenty to chew on. Some will say it makes Murray and Reitman look bad, but I saw plenty of charming stories on them, as well. The world isn’t black and white, neither are people. Especially stressed sensitive/weirdo creative types that have been at the pinnacle of their industry for decades. Nuanced souls living their life, navigating fame, making industrial entertainment on a global scale. James painted a great picture of the movie biz and the people behind it. Like Afterlife showed us, friendships don't always go as smoothly into old age as one would hope. Making cinema doesn't always go as smoothly and fun as one would hope. With A Convenient Parallel Dimension, get a fun, well-researched peek behind the curtain.

[RichardLess]

I’ve been sitting on it for nearly two decades, dying to discuss with fellow fans. What’s another day?

I really enjoyed the hell out of the book. I was privy to a lot of Greene’s research, and still learned stuff on my first read.

The production of GB and GB2 is a crazy niche thing to research and be well-read in. History books are repetitive. My merits on judging new BTS content for GB stems heavily from what new stuff is brought to light. ANY expansion on what we know is welcomed with loving open arms.

The Ultimate Visual History had a handful of new stories and visuals. Detail on Aykroyd's pitch flightsuit was my fav. The Eaglemoss Inside Story compilation book less so, but brought some previously unseen Gary Montalbano GB2 concept art to light. Cleanin’ Up the Town had a lot of new stories and visuals from the production, many stemming straight from my flat file.

I know I sound like a broken record, but these films are massive creative commercial collaborations. There’s a metric ton of material we haven’t seen. Unit photos, art, scripts, memos— all sorts of things. We’re never getting a 2,000 page tome with everything, but we will continue to see a steady stream of new stuff surfacing for years to come. Auctions, crew members, collectors, people digging out old boxes from decades past, estate sales, Burbank flea markets, perhaps even new material from Ghost Corps!

I find it exciting we don’t know everything. Then again, I always liked waiting until Christmas morning to find out what Santa brought rather than sneaking around parental closets. If everything was dolled out to us in one fell swoop, it would be an entry on Wikipedia by nightfall and diced up into social media graphics. I consider this an on-going hobby of interest and collecting, not to be concluded any time soon.

James Greene Jr did his job really, really well with the book. He brought some crazy information to light that will spur a lot of new discussion. A Convenient Parallel Dimension is a solid read that will bring any casual/new fan up to speed, plus give hardcore nuts like us plenty to chew on. Some will say it makes Murray and Reitman look bad, but I saw plenty of charming stories on them, as well. The world isn’t black and white, neither are people. Especially stressed sensitive/weirdo creative types that have been at the pinnacle of their industry for decades. Nuanced souls living their life, navigating fame, making industrial entertainment on a global scale. James painted a great picture of the movie biz and the people behind it. Like Afterlife showed us, friendships don't always go as smoothly into old age as one would hope. Making cinema doesn't always go as smoothly and fun as one would hope. With A Convenient Parallel Dimension, get a fun, well-researched peek behind the curtain.

I saw your name among the “acknowledgments” and even tho I’m very very mixed on the book(I had too high expectations on the some things. And some of it is probably because, again, I have a vision for a GB book and it looks like something the great J.W Rinzler would make, and everytime a GB book comes out, part of me feels disappointment that Sony just doesn’t give it a shit enough to give it shot), I’m glad this fandom has a fan like you out there. You’ve done more behind the scenes with these sorts of endeavours than probably anybody. Add in names like Paul Rudoff & Alex Newborn(with his 1989 YouTube videos of everytime Ghostbusters 2 was mentioned! What a fan! I love it!). So a huge thank you. Without fans like you we wouldn’t get books like these or documentaries like Cleaning Up the Town Parts 1 and 2.

[RichardLess]

Ok. Let’s dig into this.

Where to start?

Ok. First thing first. The book says Judd Apatow signed on to produce GB3 in 2009 and then never mentions it again. Where did that come from? Was it a misprint?

Ok. Then there’s the Harold Ramis tape. Apparently there’s a 20 minute rant Harold went on during the making of the video game about Bill Murray being an asshole & it was all caught on tape. Vivendi wanted to leak it for publicity but didn’t. Where the hell is that tape now? I’d LOVE to hear it.

My favourite bit in the whole book tho? Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis personally calling the wife of the maker of the game to tell her they wouldn’t let Activision fire him after the games originally maker was bought. Over and over again the book just confirms that Harold & Dan are exactly the type of people we think they are.

Unfortunately the same is true of Bill Murray. This book is scathing towards him.

The book also turns VERY political randomly and it’s super off putting, even to someone like me who generally agrees with the politics. It’s odd how for most of the book the author isn’t taking a position on things. Then suddenly when GB16 rolls around…holy shit. He unloads with both barrels. A lot of ink is wasted on the sexism and the trolls and Donald Trump.

And there is way too much Non Ghostbusters stuff in the book. I get that some background is required but the book talks a lot about the Ghostbusters cast and their side projects a little too much. We get a whole COVID 19 refresher that really isn’t needed at all. It goes on. And on. And on. I mean…ok. We get it. There was a pandemic and it sucked. Why are you talking about the Republican Party response to the pandemic in a Ghostbusters book? A few sentences would’ve done the trick. Not pages.

The book offers no answer to the Slimer GB2 ending. It is brought up and examined. That whole section is kinda funny. Why? This forum is used as a source. The author mentions the city of Calgary maybe getting a different cut of GB2. I was like…umm…what? You click the source notation and..it’s a GBfans forum page lol(I got this book digitally). How weird is that? Why would the city of Calgary of all places get a different cut of GB2? Lol. It’s ridiculous.