Ernie Hudson To Get Some Well-Deserved 'Toy Story' Money

If you’ve read even a few of my pieces here or have ever suffered from being in a Slack chat with me, you know that I have a soft spot for Ghostbusters. Hell, some would argue it even verges on an obsession. Or, what’s a word or phrase for someone who can’t move on from something they admired as a child? Arrested development? If so, that’s my feeling toward Ghostbusters. I love the franchise and always will. However, that doesn’t mean I won’t acknowledge its flaws (cough the most recent movie cough). One of the biggest is how it has handled one of its stars.

Ghostbusters was originally planned as a vehicle for Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and Eddie Murphy. Tragically, John Belushi passed away before filming. Eddie Murphy decided to star in Beverly Hills Cop instead, and the film was left to fill those roles. Bill Murray and Harold Ramis would sign on as the roles morphed and changed. Ernie Hudson eventually signed on, in what would end up being a diminished version of Eddie Murphy’s role. Despite the criminal lack of screen time, Hudson makes it shine.

The former Marine has been a working actor for nearly fifty years. He’s appeared on stage and screen and has crushed in both. His turn as Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters captured the hearts and minds of fans, and yet, his return in Ghostbusters 2 feels like an afterthought. He auditioned to voice his own character in The Real Ghostbusters cartoon and lost to Arsenio Hall. Hudson has told stories about attending Ghostbusters events as the only guest, and arriving to find posters without him on them.

There has been a bit of a course correction in recent years. Winston has been turned into a financial backer for the team and a kind of leader. This extends through the new movies, video games, and (presumably) the animated projects due to hit Netflix. That’s all well and good, but it feels like too little, too late. Hudson may not have come from the halls of 30 Rock, but his profile should have benefited from the hit movies as much as any of the other actors. However, if you look at his history with them, it’s full of slights. He’s not only left off of posters but physical media covers as well. Hudson has said that it felt deliberate.

All that complaining is to say that Hudson deserves a bigger profile than he has. Ghostbusters isn’t the only Hollywood entity to do Hudson dirty. He’s got the looks, charisma, and talent to be as big a superstar as anyone else in the industry. Maybe he doesn’t want that. Perhaps he hasn’t picked or been offered the right projects (and to be fair, he’s done a hell of a lot of TV work). I just know that I want the best for Ernie Hudson, and getting to be in a Toy Story movie is a step in the right direction.

Hudson will be replacing the late great Carl Weathers as Combat Carl in Toy Story 5. I would have rather something like this come Hudson’s way without losing someone like Weathers, but here we are. Hudson will join the always impressive Toy Story cast for the newest installment and easily belongs among their rank. This is a good get! It’s something Ernie Hudson deserves, and it makes me very happy. Was I champing at the bit for a new Toy Story movie? Nope! But all four previous films have been fantastic, and Hudson belongs in such a consistently good series of films.

I don’t think this will raise Hudson’s profile to the level of his Ghostbusters co-stars (though I’m sure he’s already there in the eyes of some folks). But people want to work with you in Hollywood if you’re already working. Announcements like this getting dropped at Deadline could lead to more for the 79-year-old man.

79?!?!? God, he’s magnificent.