Ghostbusters Legend Joining The Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Ghostbusters star Ernie Hudson is eager to join the MCU, and has lobbied his friend, Marvel producer Louis D'Esposito.
One of the stars of Ghostbusters may be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we aren’t talking about Bill Murray, who has already been revealed as appearing in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Rather, we’re talking about Winston Zeddemore himself, Ernie Hudson, who told Chris Killian of ComicBook.com that he is lobbying to have a role somewhere in the MCU.
Hudson revealed that he is good friends with Marvel Studios Vice President Louis D’Esposito, who has produced every single entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe except 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, and has made it clear he wants a role in it. “I keep saying, You know, ‘Louis, you know, the Marvel universe,'” Hudson said, while also pointing out that D’Esposito has told him they are “waiting for the right thing.”
While he waits for the call, he talks about how much being a part of the MCU means to him, a far cry from some actors who dismiss the idea of joining the franchise as somehow beneath them. “I would love to,” he says of joining the MCU. “Also because now when I look back at things, I think about my grandkids and great grandkids, and I think, you know, those are movies they’re gonna watch for a long time.”
Ernie Hudson laments the fact that Hollywood today seems content on just offering him smaller roles that capitalize on his recognizable face. He wants larger roles, with more substance. “A lot of the work I get offered is things that people say, well, you know, we love your work, we want you to be in it. But we only need you for a day or two, and I’m like, it shouldn’t work in a day or two. I’m looking for a role.”
As it stands now, Ernie Hudson may have his hands full building the Ghostbusters Cinematic Universe. In an end credits scene of Ghostbusters Afterlife, Hudson’s Zeddemore revealed to Annie Potts’ Janine Melnitz that he is using his vast wealth (seemingly amassed since Ghostbusters II) to keep the Ghostbusters dream alive. He is then seen at the old firehouse, bringing the classic Ghostbusters car, The Ecto-1, into the parking bay, with a blinking power box hinting that a containment unit may still be active.
With a sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife already in development, it is possible this teased storyline may get its own full movie at some point. It would also give Hudson the chance to expand the Winston role, as he is sometimes marginalized as the “fourth Ghostbuster” and somehow not part of the original core group.
Earlier this year, we reported that Netflix was developing a Ghostbusters animated series. It is not clear if the series will be a standalone cartoon or continue the storyline set up by Afterlife.
Ernie Hudson has had perhaps the busiest career of all the Ghostbusters stars, appearing in over 250 films and TV series, often as a guest star, in a career that has spanned nearly 50 years. He got his start in the mid-1970’s with bit parts in films like Leadbelly and The Human Tornado. He actually appeared in the 1970s The Incredible Hulk tv series, in a guest-starring role, before 1984’s Ghostbusters made him an in-demand character actor.
His other roles include The Crow, Miss Congeniality, Psych, and the series Oz. He also joined the recent Quantum Leap reboot series for NBC. He’s also had a prolific voiceover career, although Ghostbusters remains his biggest role.
