Film Fact #4:
The actor originally intended to play Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters (1984) was Eddie Murphy.
In fact, the whole story was going to be a lot different in the beginning.
Still starring Dan Aykroyd it would’ve also starred John Belushi (The Blues Brothers) and would’ve seen the pair travelling through time battling various supernatural threats.
After Belushi’s tragic death from an accidental drug overdose in 1982, Aykroyd teamed up with Harold Ramis who would end up playing Egon Spengler in the movie, and they wrote the story we know and love today.
Had Eddie Murphy accepted the roll, the “Winston” character would’ve featured more prominently in the story and we would’ve seen him getting slimed in the corridor of the hotel and not Bill Murray.
To be fair, Murphy didn’t turn down the part as much as he wasn’t available. He was making Beverly Hills Cop (1984) so I guess it all turned out ok.