Ghostbusters' Weirdest Cameo Is Officially Canon - Dan Aykroyd Says So
If you ever watched Casper and thought, "Wait, was that Ray Stantz?" - you weren't imagining it. And now it's official: that blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo counts.
Dan Aykroyd (movies and tv series) confirmed that his 1995 appearance as Dr. Ray Stantz in Casper isn't just a gag - it's canon to the Ghostbusters movies. He said it plainly on the Talking Strange podcast, pointing to one big reason: Steven Spielberg (movies and tv series) personally asked him to do it.
"I think so, given the fact that Spielberg asked for me and said, 'Come and do this,' and that they built me in there," Aykroyd said. "Of course, it's a beautiful nod to what we were doing with Ivan [Reitman] and everybody. I think you gotta include there in the canon, no doubt."
The cameo fans still talk about
It happens early in Casper (1995): Whipstaff Manor needs a cleanup, so they call in a pro. Stantz shows up in full Ghostbusters gear, heads inside… and sprints right back out, defeated by the trio haunting the place - Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso. Quick. Funny. Completely unexpected.
At the time, it felt like a wink. Now, it's more than that. If it's canon, then the Ghostbusters have crossed paths (and lost) to the ghosts of Whipstaff - meaning those worlds touch, at least for a moment.
Why this matters beyond the Easter egg
Canon can be fuzzy, especially with long-running franchises and studio crossovers. Aykroyd's confirmation gives fans permission to treat that moment as part of the official Ghostbusters timeline. It's a small thing, but it changes how you read the map.
- Ray Stantz is aware of Casper and his uncles - and they got the better of him.
- Casper's universe briefly overlaps with Ghostbusters, even if it's just a drive-by.
- It shows how legacy characters can stitch different films together in ways that feel playful but still "count."
Here's what this could mean
Maybe nothing more than a fun footnote. Or maybe it opens the door for future crossovers to be taken seriously when they're done with care and buy-in from the original creators. The key detail here is intent - Spielberg asked, Aykroyd suited up, and everyone treated it like the real deal.
There hasn't been a new Casper movie since 1995, but fans won't stop thinking about what a modern team-up might look like. And honestly, the image of Stantz getting chased out of that house still lands - it makes the Ghostbusters feel human. Even the pros get spooked sometimes.
What do you think - clever nod, or a legit bridge between two fan-favorite worlds?
