Ghostbusters 3 'in development'

Two writers from the US version of The Office have been recruited to write a third instalment of Ghostbusters, according to trade newspaper Variety.

Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky's hiring is seen as a sure sign the long-mooted comedy will finally be made.

Ghostbusters and its 1989 sequel saw Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis as bumbling scientists who rid New York of paranormal threats.

It is hoped the new film will reunite the original cast.

The internets are in an ectoplasmic tizzy over recent news that Columbia Pictures is planning to revive Ghostbusters for a third installment.

The studio tapped Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, executive producers for workplace comedy The Office, to pen the supernatural sequel, according to Variety.

The plan is to reunite the original cast for the paranormal romp, including Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson.

But before you dig out your proton packs and start polishing your mini-Ecto mobile, consider the question: Should an iconic, 24-year-old franchise be reanimated?

It could serve as a welcome homecoming for devoted fans while introducing a new generation to the campy fun of chasing lime-green ghosts and gargantuan marshmallow men through Manhattan.

Certainly, franchises are striking back with a vengeance -- Star Trek, Rambo, Terminator Salvation, to name a few. But as deliriously thrilling as it would be to see Venkman, Egon, Raymond and Winston donning their beige jumpsuits, would the ghost gimmick -- and the cast -- hold up, more than two decades later?

Would a geek-friendly revamp with a Judd Apatow ensemble cast improve upon -- or destroy -- fans' memories of that fabulous '80s aesthetic? (Akroyd told E Online that the idea of Apatow and actor Seth Rogen working on the Ghostbusters sequel would be "an absolute dream.")