Released in 1995, Casper featured a hilarious cameo in which Dan Aykroyd reprised his role as Raymond Stanz from Ghostbusters. In the brief scene from Casper, a terrified Stanz is shown fleeing in terror from the mansion haunted by Casper and his trio of ghostly uncles, as even an actual Ghostbuster was not up to the challenge of exorcizing these particular spirits.
Fans had assumed for thirty years that this cameo was simply a light-hearted moment which was not actually meant to be part of Ghostbusters canon, but Aykroyd clearly thinks otherwise.
Speaking on the Talking Strange podcast to promote the third season of his reality TV show, The UnBelievable With Dan Aykroyd, (h/t Deadline), Aykroyd confirmed that he does indeed consider his cameo in Casper to be officially canon within the Ghostbusters universe, meaning that he believes Casper and Ghostbusters occur within the same continuity. The actor was quoted as saying the following at 17:18, when asked about whether his Casper cameo is canon to Ghostbusters lore on the podcast:
“I think so, given the fact that [Steven] Spielberg asked for me and said, ‘Come and do this,’ and that they built me in there…Of course, it’s a beautiful nod to what we were doing with Ivan [Reitman] and everybody. I think you gotta include it there in the canon, no doubt.”
Although Sony Pictures, which owns the Ghostbusters franchise, and Casper distributor Universal Pictures, have not given any official statements as to whether or not Aykroyd’s Casper cameo in canon within the Ghostbusters universe, the fact that Aykroyd believes it is will still probably be satisfying to many fans. Especially since Aykroyd co-created the Ghostbusters franchise alongside Harold Ramis, so some fans will argue that Aykroyd should have the final say on what should be considered canon. And the thought of Casper existing in the Ghostbusters universe is certainly amusing, although pesky rights issues mean that a more fleshed-out crossover will probably never happen.
Aykroyd and Ramis wrote the script for the original Ghostbusters film, which was released to critical and commercial success in 1984. The film was directed by Ivan Reitman, and it focuses on four mismatched professors who were forced to become unlikely heroes when vicious ghosts descended on New York City.
The success of the film resulted in Ghostbusters becoming a profitable multimedia franchise, with the latest cinematic entry, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, arriving in cinemas last year. On the other hand, Casper was directed by Brad Silberling, with Steven Spielberg serving as one of the executive producers. Sherri Stoner and Deanna Oliver wrote the screenplay, which was adapted from the Harvey Comics series of the same name. And Malachi Pearson provided the voice of the titular CGI ghost, who befriends a young girl called Kathleen Harvey (Christina Ricci), after she moves into the mansion he haunts alongside his uncles, who also happen to be ghosts. Interestingly, the Crypt Keeper from Tales from the Crypt also makes a cameo in Casper, so fans will probably now be pondering if this means that Casper, Ghostbusters, and Tales from the Crypt all take place within the same continuity.
But for now, Aykroyd's statement about his Casper cameo being canon to Ghostbusters will be enough to leave fans grinning from ear to ear. And Aykroyd also confirmed in the podcast interview (from 15:48 to 17:05) that another mainline Ghostbusters movie will eventually be made at one point, while also expressing his excitement for the upcoming animated Ghostbusters film, so there really has never been a better time to be a Ghostbusters fan.