Paul Rudd is “flattered” to be carrying on Ghostbusters’ comedy legacy.

The 52-year-old actor – who plays Mr. Grooberson in ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ – heaped praise on Rick Moranis as he responded to the suggestion his character is a successor to Louis Tully.

He told Total Film: “Well, if I started thinking in those terms, I’d probably get a little bit nervous, because Rick Moranis is rarefied air in terms of comedians.

“But I certainly was aware of some of the similarities. It’s incredibly flattering, first and foremost, to be given the opportunity to try and bring some of that stuff to a movie that already has a murderers’ row of hilarious people existing in this world.

“You have to look at the material in front of you, and what you want to do with it, and push out all the lineage and weight that comes with it – otherwise it’s easy to get bogged down.”

Despite the history of the franchise, Rudd had no reservations revisiting such a classic film, particularly as director Jason Reitman has taken over the reigns from his dad Ivan.

He added: “If anything, I thought the whole storyline was even more interesting based on the fact that Jason was taking over the family business.

“There was something about not just the storylines that were in the script, but the storylines that were taking place outside of the script in making the movie, and to be a part of something that has that kind of weight behind it, or family connection, was appealing.”

Rudd is glad ‘Afterlife’ will balance the different genres in the same way as the original 1984 classic.

He said: “One of the things I always thought was cool about ‘Ghostbusters’ was, it’s really, really funny, but it’s also kind of scary, certainly for younger audiences.

“It doesn’t fit into any one category. I would say this [film] also checks all those boxes.”