Editing Ghostbusters II (section)

=== Writing ===
[[File:Plucked from the Fairy Circle.png|thumb|alt=An 1880 sketch of a man pulling another man away from fairies that are dancing in a circle|Folklore about the existence of [[fairy ring]]s—naturally occurring rings or arcs of mushrooms—and their ties to the supernatural were present in Aykroyd's early draft.{{sfn|Eisenberg|1989|p=5}}{{sfn|McCabe|2016|p=57}}]]
Aykroyd described his first draft as "really too far out...{{nbsp}}too inaccessible".{{sfn|Eisenberg|1989|p=5}}{{sfn|McCabe|2016|p=57}} He wanted to avoid using New York City, set the film overseas, and provide a contrast to the first film's climax atop a skyscraper by including a subterranean threat.{{sfn|McCabe|2016|p=57}} This draft followed Dana Barrett, who is kidnapped and taken to Scotland, where she discovers a [[fairy ring]]—a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms sometimes linked in folklore to fairies or witches<ref name="FairyRing" />—and an underground civilization.{{sfn|Eisenberg|1989|p=5}}{{sfn|McCabe|2016|p=57}} The Ghostbusters would have had to travel through an underground pneumatic tube over 2,000 miles long that would have taken three days to traverse.{{sfn|McCabe|2016|p=57}} He eventually decided that retaining the New York setting would allow for continuity and would better fit the story he wanted to tell while allowing them to explore underground.{{sfn|McCabe|2016|p=57}}

As with ''Ghostbusters'', Aykroyd partnered with Ramis to refine the script. Early on, they decided ''Ghostbusters{{nbsp}}II'' should reflect the five-year passage of time between the two films.{{sfn|McCabe|2016|p=57}} Ramis suggested the story focus on a baby because he had previously developed a horror film concept centered on an infant who possessed adult agility and focus. This inspired him to create the character Oscar.{{sfn|Eisenberg|1989|p=5}} Initially, the child was the son of Peter Venkman and Dana, who would have maintained their relationship in the intervening years. The child would have become possessed as a focal point of the film; Murray felt this created an imbalance in the story, placing too much emphasis on his and Dana's relationship with the child rather than the Ghostbusters and their character dynamics.{{sfn|McCabe|2016|pp=57,58}} Instead, they chose to have Peter's and Dana's relationship fail, allowing her to marry, have a child and be divorced by the events of ''Ghostbusters{{nbsp}}II''.{{sfn|Eisenberg|1989|p=6}} Ramis wanted to show that the Ghostbusters had not remained heroes after their victory in the previous film; he felt that would have been a less original approach.{{sfn|McCabe|2016|p=58}}

The river of slime was conceived early in their collaboration.{{sfn|Eisenberg|1989|p=5}} Ramis wanted the slime beneath New York to present a moral issue caused by the buildup of negative human emotions in large cities;{{sfn|Eisenberg|1989|p=5}}{{sfn|McCabe|2016|p=58}} he considered it a metaphor for [[urban decay]] and a call to deliver a human solution, though he said this was buried deeply in the script.<ref name="RollingStone" /> The pair wanted negative emotions to have consequences and found humor in New York City having to be nice or face destruction, though at this point they did not know what form that destruction would take.{{sfn|McCabe|2016|p=58}} Ramis said: "Comedically, it suggested, what if everyone in New York City had to be nice for forty-eight hours?"<ref name="RollingStone" /> Aykroyd said they wanted to show negativity has to go somewhere, potentially into the person the emotion is directed towards. He felt this made the film more grounded compared with dealings with gods.{{sfn|McCabe|2016|p=60–61}} He said: "Cities everywhere are dangerous. Life has become cheap. You can go to{{nbsp}}... see a movie and get machine-gunned on the street".{{sfn|Eisenberg|1989|p=5}} The story evolved far from Ramis' and Aykroyd's efforts but retained the core notion of emotions and their impact.{{sfn|Eisenberg|1989|p=6}} By May 1987, Aykroyd and Ramis had been working for over a year,<ref name="LATimesMay87" /> and had completed the screenplay by March 1988.<ref name="ChicagoTribSalary" />

In the years since the release of the more adult-oriented ''Ghostbusters'', its animated spin-off television series ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]'' had become popular with its target child audience. The team was tasked with balancing the needs of ''Ghostbusters'' fans and those of the cartoon's audience.<ref name="AICNOverview" /> According to Medjuck, the cartoon's success was influential in the return of [[Slimer]] for the sequel, and they aimed to avoid contradicting the cartoon where possible; he said although the Ghostbusters have been out of work for five years, they had to act as though the cartoon's events took place after the film.<ref name="BTMSep14" />